Back in the Day
by charmed1s-halliwells
Summary: This trip back in time for Piper and Phoebe's daughters was not planed. They land in the 80s with only Grams for help. Will they be able to defeat a strange familiar evil before it kills them, or before they become evil themselves? Everything will change.
1. Mixing potions

**Back in the Day**

**Chapter 1 – Mixing Potions**

**A/N: I want to thank Carmen A.K.A anime-obssesed:p for typing this for me. I only write this in history/French class, and I was way too lazy. I've got it written up to Chapter 3, and planned out till chapter 5. Enjoy!**

"I wouldn't do that if I were you", said Melinda from the couch.

As usual, I ignored her. Melinda is my cousin, and she never, ever does anything that can be considered wrong. Behind her back I called her Ms. Perfect. Sometimes, I called her that to her face. I didn't see what I was doing that I should stop. All I was doing was mixing potions. It wasn't really a big deal. I was trying to make a stress-free potion, there's nothing too hard about that. Of course, I didn't know what I was doing, but I'd figure it out.

Melinda got up from the couch and said, "I'm warning you patience, if you put one more herb in that pot I'll…"

"What? You'll tell my mommy?" I asked sarcastically. My mom, Phoebe Halliwell, wouldn't care that I'd been mixing potions. She'd actually be proud that I've been developing my skills in witchcraft. I'm 13 years old, and so is Melinda, but she'd be considered the mature one. I picked up some mandrake root and threw it dramatically into the pot.

"See", I said mockingly, "Nothing horrible happened." Melinda just rolled her eyes and went back to reading the Book of Shadows, which was what she was doing before she had scolded.

Melinda was only a month older then me, but she acted like she was ten years older than me. We were actually pretty similar, yet we couldn't be more different. I have an older sister named Prudence who'd 18 and Melinda's older brothers Wyatt and Chris are 22 and 23. That's where are similarities end. Melinda loves school and gets good grades and I…well I don't. I had brown hair and brown eyes while Melinda had blonde hair and blue eyes, just like her father Leo. Despite all our differences, we really were best of friends.

Melinda looked up from the Book of Shadows and gave me a very disapproving look. Currently I was stirring my stress-free potion which was lime green, although it should have been dark purple. I just shrugged off the strange color and continued stirring.

"That doesn't look right", Melinda said reprimanding.

I stuck my tongue out at her. "What do you know?" I asked teasingly. "It just needs some…" I paused rummaging around the herb cupboard for the exact thing my potion needed. "Oleander!" I said confidently. I took it out of the cupboard and threw it in the pot.

"Patience, don't!" Melinda called. It was too little, too late.

There was a lout explosion, and we were thrown backwards. Thick smog obscured out visions. We couldn't see a thing. When the smoke cleared they were still in the attic. It was the same attic, only it was different. Gone were the bags of their baby clothes and the boxes labeled old toys. Instead, there was a record player, posters of bands I had never heard of, and no book of Shadows in the podium where it always was.

"Where are we?" I asked in a daze.

Suddenly we heard someone yell, "When will you be home, Piper dear?" The voice was very familiar. We recognized it from the few times we had summoned her. "Grams?" I whispered. If that was really Grams, then what the hell had I done?

"I think the better question, Patience dead," Melinda said angrily. Great she was still mad at me. "Is, where are we?" We both froze in fear as we hear footsteps come up the stairs. A much younger, much more alive, Penny Halliwell, came into the attic. She nearly jumped when she saw us. She pointed an accusing finger at us and glared at us just as strictly as the last time we summoned her, and I accidentally turned my best friend into a cat. That is another story.

"What do you demons want? If you do not answer me, I will vanquish you," she said commandingly.

"B…but, wait…w…we", I stammered. Great, my great-grandmother was threatening to vanquish me, and all I could do was stammer. I looked to Melinda for help. For once, my cousin was quiet. She had that look in her face like she had an idea. What that idea was, I couldn't for the life of me figure out.

Grams waved her arm and sent a heavy vase flying, straight for Melinda's head. Instinctively, Melinda orbed out and orbed back in. Gram's arms dropped lamely to her sides. Her mouth formed a surprised O. "You orbed." Our great-grandmother said softly, "You must be a whitelighter."

Melinda flashed a cocky smile and I realized what her plan must have been. No witch in their right mind would try and vanquish a whitelighter.

"Not quite a whitelighter", Melinda said with a confident smile. "Let's sit down, and we can explain."

Grams obliged, and sunk down into the antique sofa that was always in the attic, Melinda and I found two chairs, and sat down across from her. For some reason, Melinda felt like she had to be the one in charge.

"Well, first, we should tell you out names. My name in Melinda and this is my cousin Patience. We're from the…the future." She said this all rather diplomatically. I tired to sense Grams' emotions to this. Mostly they were negative ones ranging from distrust to blind rage. However, using my unusual advance powers of empathy, I could sense a bit of curiosity, and a desire to trust us as well.

"Melinda," I said, turning to my cousin, "maybe we should tell her that other thing.. Melinda just looked at my blankly.

'You know', I said into Melinda's head, 'The whole we're family thing might make her trust us,' Melinda and I both have the power of telepathy, which came in handy to have conversations no one else could hear.

'Fine', she answered telepathically, 'but you have to tell her,'

I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. I knew that I had to tell her but u really didn't want to face what I called the Wrath of Grams.

"This may seem hard to believe but we're your great-granddaughters."

Grams handled it as well as either of us could have hoped. We could both tell, even Melinda who wasn't empathic, that Grams didn't fully trust us. At least she didn't treat us with open hostility any more. I sensed that she wanted to believe us, although her better judgment told her not to. I could also tell that she was curious.

"If you really are my great-granddaughters, then who are your mothers and why can Melinda orb?" she asked rather vehemently.

I was at a loss. I had no idea what to tell her, miraculously, Melinda knew exactly what to say. She said exactly what Grams needed to hear.

Gently, Melinda said, "You know we can't tell you our mother's names. You can't have any future knowledge, you know that. As foe the reason I can orb, its same reason grandma Patty and Sam's daughter can. My father is a whitelighter."

Grams gapped at us. At that moment I experienced her thought and feelings. She was shocked that I knew about Aunt Paige. Although I thought reading people's minds, beside Melinda of course, was rude just this once I couldn't help myself. 'One of them must have died', Grams thought, 'there's no other way they could have known.'

I almost slapped Melinda for explaining it that way. There was no way Grams could find out about Prue dying. She would try to prevent a death that was meant to be. If she did that, there would be grave consequences. Its luck that Grams wasn't a telepath, or she could have heard what I just thought. I knew that Melinda heard, judging be how fast she tried to change the subject. I knew she realized her stupidity because of the pink flush that appeared on her cheeks.

"So…umm…" Melinda stammered, "What year is it?"

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence. After a moment Grams seemed to pull herself together. "It's 1987 girls, and you've come a long way. We need to get you home right away", said Grams regaining her usual brisk manner. She immediately went to the Book of Shadows, opened it, and she immediately began taking out potion bottles and candles. Melinda and I sat there as Grams was hard at work. I heard the key in the lock, and then head a very familiar voice. I would recognize my mother's voice mo matter how young it sounded.

"Grams, I'm home!" yelled a 12 year old Phoebe Halliwell.


	2. Unwelcome Guest

**Chapter 2: Unwelcome Guest**

**A/n: Thank you all reviewers. You make me so happy. Since I have this mostly typed up, you're the reasons I update.**

**mandymoore1: I'm going to reveal Patience's dad later on, because it's going to be important later. **

**JadeAlmasy: I think it's going to be a cool story**

**darkVlight: hehehe…I love Grams…her reaction was fun to write. I hope it's a winner. **

**phoebe turner: While, here it is!**

**WitchyChar: Here's more of this story! Hope you like it. **

**Anime-obsessed: Thanks for typing this Carmen! There, I mentioned you again. I wrote more in French today. What else am I supposed to do? **

Grams looked frantically, at her two future great-granddaughters. "I'm in the washroom Phoebe! I'll be down in a minute", she yelled down the stairs. "Help me hide this stuff", Grams whispered frantically. She stowed the Book of Shadows in the old trunk. I took the herbs, and put them in the cupboard. Melinda took the crystals and put them in a small box. We were done in about two minutes.

Grams turned to Melinda. She said, "You need to orb me into the washroom," Melinda nodded and waved her arm. Grams disappeared in a swirl of blue white lights. Melinda grabbed my hand, and next moment we were at the front door. We heard Grams asked young Phoebe about her day. I rang the doorbell.

When Grams answered, she pretended to look surprised. She gave us each a hug, I saw my mother younger than I was but looking very much the same. She looked at Melinda and I with a curious expression on her face. "Phoebe, this is Patience and Melinda", Grams said softy, "They are your cousins." At my mom's skeptical look she added, "distant cousins."

I couldn't tell that my mom wasn't convinced, but she shrugged, and sat down in the dinning room table. Grams sat down beside the young version of my mother, and gave us a stern look that clearly meant, you better sit down if you know what's good for you. Not wanting to be yelled at, Melinda and I sat down. "It is time to do your homework, dear", Grams said trying to divert her attention from us. My mother didn't get any homework, nor did she move at all.

"I won't do my homework until you tell me where they're from and why their wearing such weird clothes."

I leaned forward a bit in my seat. I couldn't wait to hear how Grams answered that. Compared to mom's tight leggings legwarmers, back tipped shirt that hung off her shoulders and horrible ponytail and headband ensemble, I could see how out clothes might look a little weird. I was wearing hip hugging aged jeans, held up with a thin red belt and a shinny black tank top accessorized with gold hoop earrings. Stylish in my time, but strange in the 80s.

"There from…far away…umm…Canada! And what they're wearing is stylish there."

I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing. Even Melinda, usually serious, was smiling a bit. My mom still didn't look convinced; she was much smarter than we gave her credit for. Rather then argue, young Phoebe just shrugged, "Whatever", she muttered. I could tell that my mom knew that Grams was hiding something from her. No wonder my mother was the first to find the Book of Shadows. When Phoebe had stopped staring at us, and finally started on her homework Grams stood up from the table.

"I'm going to go with Melinda and Patience to get them settled", Grams said pleasantly. We understood that it was a signal that it was time to go back up to the attic. Phoebe looked up from her homework for a moment and shrugged.

Melinda and I jogged up to the attic, Grams trailed behind us. We waited about a minute for Grams to get up to the attic. We didn't see her lock the door, but we felt it was safe to assume that she did. This was Grams after all.

When Grams entered the attic, she got the Book of Shadows out of the trunk and began frantically flipping through the pages. "I know I saw a time travel spell here somewhere." Grams mumbled, "I just need to find it".

At that moment, I saw a flash of blue out of the corner of my eyes. I spun around to see a shimmering blue portal forming on the far attic wall. I nudged Melinda, who was standing beside me.

'What do you want?' Melinda said irritably into my head. As always, in my opinion, Melinda was oblivious to everything that was going on.

'Turn around stupid", I said telepathically. Still, Melinda refused to listen. Despite the dear the swirling portal inspired, Melinda was making me angry.

"There's a portal behind us!" I thought angrily.

Using my power of empathy, I could tell that Melinda didn't really believe me. Nevertheless, she turned around.

Sure enough, she saw the portal, and nearly jumped. The portal wasn't a smooth shimmering mass of blue anymore. Sticking out of the seemingly solid portal was a muscular green arm with black markings. It was as if the demon to which the arm was attached was struggling to break through the portal.

"Grams…" Melinda said; her voice full of fear. Feeling both Melinda's fear and my own, I was terrified. I concentrated all my energy on blocking out her feelings. After a few seconds, my feelings were wholly my own.

"Not now girls, I'm busy!" said Grams irritably. Another arm broke through the portal. Melinda tapped frantically on Gram's shoulder, in such effort to get her attention. I backed away, looking for good space to fight. My powers were completely passive and not much use against demons. Thanks to my mother, I was an expert in one on one combat.

"What is it girls?" Grams said finally, with a sigh.

"Demon!" I yelled. The demon had escaped completely from the portal. He was a large muscular demon, green and covered in tribal markings. He opened hid mouth to reveal two rows of knife-like teeth. He looked vaguely human except his pointed ears, small white horns and his eyes, which was a luminesant yellow, like a cat.

Grams turned around when she saw the demon, she looked at him furiously, and waved her arm.

The demon stumbled, but was otherwise uninjured. The demon threw back its ugly head and roared.

"I want only the children!" it growled. It advanced towards me, and I crouched low, getting into proper fighting stance. The demon aimed a well placed blow with its clawed hand, straight at my head. I blocked it but not before getting swiped by the clawed hand. I looked at the cut on my shoulder. It wasn't that deep, but it merited some healing.

I leapt into the air, and unleashed a stinging snap kick straight at the demon's head. With a satisfying snap, the demon's head flew backwards. It was momentarily stunned, but I didn't stop. The demon seemed to think killing me was too much work, it turned to Melinda.

My cousin Melinda was ready. She flicked her wrists, and the demon froze in place.

She ran to the Book of Shadows, turning her back on the demon. For 20 seconds, she flipped through the book at a frantic pace. She pulled out a small pouch of species, and ripped the page out of the book.

"Standard upper-level demon vanquishing spell?" she asked Grams.

"Yes darling", Grams replied.

I chanced a glance at the frozen demon, directly behind Melinda. He seemed to be trembling, almost as if he was fighting against through the freeze. I tried to yell out in warning, but it was too late. All at once, the demon broke out of the freeze. He raised his arm, and hit Melinda over the head. Melinda crumpled to the floor.

"Melinda!" Grams yelled.

My cousin was on the floor, unmoving. It was impossible to tell if she was alive or dead. That's when I decided to use a power I rarely used. Since powers are tied to emotions, using my power to tap into another's emotions also allows me to tap into their power. I rarely used that particular aspect of that power because it was horribly draining.

It was also particularly difficult to use that power on demons, because their powers were often triggered by hate. Feeling that much hate could be painful. I've only used this power in situations like these, when I had no other choice.

I concentrated, like I had never concentrated in my life. I felt hate coursing though me, raw, primal hate. The warmth in my hand told me that it had worked.

"Looking for this", I asked in a low growl, exposing the fireball I had formed. It was taking all my strength to bare all that hate. I wanted nothing more then to let go of it. It was burning me, tearing me apart. I had to hold on until I vanquished the demon for Melinda's sake.

I threw the fireball, letting go of all the hate that I knew the demon felt. I had perfect aim, the fireball hit the demon square on the chest and it howled in pain. Fire swirled around its writhing body. With a final puff of smoke and growl of pain, it was gone.

I sat down on the floor beside Melinda's unmoving body. She was till breathing, so all we have to do was call Uncle Leo, and he could heal her. Melinda and I were still technically his charges. I was sure he would hear us.

I heard a small frightened voice in the doorway, before I got a chance to call Leo. "Grams? Patience?" my 12 year old mother said, "What happened to Melinda? What was that thing with the fire?"

What had she seen? It could seriously screw things up if my mom found out about magic too soon. People who were supposed to be alive could be dead, and vice-versa. People I really care about might never be born. I really hoped that Gram could think of a good explanation for this.

As it turned out, Gram didn't really have to explain. What little Phoebe Halliwell had seen must have been too much for her, as her eyes rolled up in her head and she slumped to the floor. I was shocked. I couldn't believe that my mother had fainted!

Grams looked a bit defeated as she sat down on the sofa. "What shall we do now?" Grams said with a sigh. Was Grams, the all powerful super-witch, asking me for help? The past was just getting weirder and weirder.

"I'll call my whitelighter, and he can heal them," I said confidently. "Leo!" I called. Grams displayed a slight shock at hearing that name, but chose to ignore it. I remembered that Uncle Leo had been Aunt Piper's whitelighter since she was born. Okay, now that I think about it, EW!

Uncle Leo took longer than usual to appear. I suppose it's because I technically wasn't born yet. My head really hurt when I thought that. Finally, after what seemed like a million years, Leo appeared in a swirl of orbs. He looked from Melinda and my mom on the floor, to me and finally rested on Grams.

"Penny", Leo said slowly, "What's going on?"

Grams opened her mouth and abruptly closed it. She seemed unable to speak, I decided that I would explain for her.

"I think I should explain", I said. "First let me introduce myself. My name is Patience". I stuck my hand out and he shook it.

"Leo", he said, with a stunned look on his face. He sat down slowly beside Grams and I told him everything. When I was finished, nearly half an hour later, he looked a little doubtful. He was especially stunned to hear that he married Aunt Piper, and they had 3 children, one of which was currently unconscious. "Can you heal Melinda now?" I asked.

Leo got up quickly; he placed a glowing healing hand over Melinda. She opened her eyes and sat up quickly, stunned at who she saw.

"Dad!" she yelled, throwing her arms around him. He weakly returned the hug, looking bewildered.

"I would like to believe you Patience", he said finally. "but what you have told me sounds a bit impossible."

"When your mother is a Charmed One", I said with a smile, "nothing's impossible."

I didn't know it at the time but very impossible things were about to happen…

**TBC…**


	3. Ghosts are dead, right?

**Chapter 3 – Ghosts are dead, right?**

**A/N: Thank you those who did review. You're the greatest. I'm almost done chapter 4, so you'll get a quick update. **

**Anime-obssesed:p: I mentioned you again! You know a lot of what's going to happen next, cause I told you. History/French is bearable now, since I have this to write. The people are indeed crazy. You're the best for typing this for me. Love you Carmix! (As a friend)**

**Phoebe turner: The answer to your question is yes, but much later.**

**darkVlight: Sorry to leave you hanging. Enjoy the chapter.**

**JadeAlmasy: My head hurt writing Patience thinking about the charmed one's ages. Keep reading and reviewing!**

Having Leo in the house certainly had its uses. After Melinda found out what I had told her father, I knew that a big lecture was coming up. Uncle Leo, being an angel (literally), agreed to erase his own memory the moment he helped us return to out time. I know he would do it. He even helped with the problem of explaining away what Phoebe had seen. Having told a number of colorful lies myself, I could tell that his story was masterful.

He put a glowing hand over her head, and she woke up almost instantly. "W-what happened? L-Leo?" my mother stammered. I couldn't head what Leo said next.

"Well you see Phoebe…" Leo said slowly. I could tell that he was going to make this up as he went along. "Melinda was feeling a bit ill, which is of course the reason she fainted," he said. I suppressed a laugh. I could tell this was going to be good.

"You were feeling sick as well, which of course, can occasionally make people see things that aren't there. Well. You then had a dizzy spell, and you fainted. Your Grams was so worried that she called me. I arrived just before you woke up." Leo finished quickly.

It took all my will power not to burst out laughing. The story was so ridiculous that it was almost believable. Almost. To my surprise, my mother accepted the story without question. I would never, ever, be able to pull off a story like that. "Yes, that's what must have happened. I'm just going downstairs now," Phoebe said. I wondered how Leo had done that. Melinda, however, was eyeing her father suspiciously. She had figured out what I had not.

The moment Phoebe was out of earshot, Melinda yelled. "You used it, didn't you?" I was, for the first time, completely lost. I had not idea what my cousin was talking about. Leo apparently knew exactly what she meant.

"Only a little", Lea said defensively, "just enough to make things a bit hazy."

"You still shouldn't have done it!" Melinda yelled back. I had a pretty good idea what they were arguing about now. As it turned out, Grams knew what they were talking about as well.

"You gave my grandchild memory dust! How dare you!" Grams yelled ferociously.

No wonder mom had no trouble accepting that ridiculous story. For a moment u had thought that my mother really was that gullible. I thought that Uncle Leo would be able to calm Grams down. I was very far from the truth.

"I had to!" Leo bellowed "She couldn't find out about magic! It's too early!" This Leo was really different than the one I knew. Rather than end this stupid fight, he had just mad it worse. Someone would have to speak up and make everyone see reason. That someone would have to be me, since all of this anger was making my head hurt.

"Listen", I said in the most calm, rational voice I could muster, "All of this arguing isn't helping anything. We have to work together to find a way to send Melinda and I back." To my surprise, my relatives started at me, open mouthed. They mumbled apologies. Finally, they were able to concentrate on the task at hand. There was silence for a moment.

Melinda suddenly jumped up from her chair. An excited light shone in her eyes. Living with her for 13 years, I could tell that she had an idea. Sure enough, she said in an excited voice, "Patience, I've got it!"

I pretended not to understand where she was sudden outburst was coming from. "What have you got?" I asked, with only a hint of sarcasm in my voice. Melinda rolled her eyes. She got realty annoyed when I had fin of her habits (which was often).

"I've got an idea that will help us get home". Melinda said in what I call her school teacher voice. When Melinda was angry at me, she would talk to me in the way you might talk to a four year old. I hated it. Leo, however, shocked to find out that he had a daughter, spoke to Melinda with a strange politeness.

"What is you idea, Melinda", Leo said kindly. Melinda beamed proudly at him. "Well, we know that we can't go to out time ourselves. So, why not use a spell to call for a little help?"

So that was my cousin's big idea. It was so ridiculously simple that it had a real chance of actually working. Melinda opened the Book of Shadows, and flipped to an old looking spell written in flowing calligraphy. I took a look at the spell. It was admittedly simply enough. "Okay let's try it", I said.

The ingredients and equipment was very similar to the spell to summon a ghost. Grams, with the plan to guide her, was back in super-witch mode. She took a quick glance at the page, and began gathering all the ingredients, and throwing them in a large copper pot. Leo, not really able to help, stood guard at the door. I took several white candles and arranged then into a large summoning circle.

"We ready?" Melinda asked, glancing at the preparations we had made.

"Definitely", I said confidently. My cousin got on my nerves sometimes, but I loved it when we worked together. Melinda concentrated on the candles and they all lighted. That girl had too many powers for her own good. Not the time to be jealous, I reminded myself. Melinda took my hand, and we formed a circle around the copper pot. I smiled, as I felt the power in me swell, as it always did when combined with my cousins'. "The spell should only be done by the ones who need the help," Melinda explained, seeing the confused faces of Uncle Leo and Grams.

Melinda and I took a deep breath, feeling the power inside of us grow, and we chanted.

"_Spirits from the other side,_

_Hear your daughter witches plea._

_The hidden secrets that doth hides_

_Are those which we seek!_

_Elder ones send help to we,_

_As we desire, so mote it be!"_

After the first recitation, thick, white billowing smoke billowed from our make-shift cauldron. We repeated the spell twice, and then thrice. On the third repetition there was a loud boom, and we automatically backed out of the circle. When the smoke cleared, we were shocked at who we saw.

It was Chris. He was 23 years old, just as he was in our time. Right away I could tell that there was something different about him. His bright green eyes looked more somber, older…haunted somehow. Chris looked at the group in the attic with interest and said, "Who are you people?"

"Chris, its Melinda, your sister", Melinda cried. She seemed a little hurt by that. I couldn't blame her. She idolized Chris, even more than Wyatt. If Prudence ever said something like that to me, I probably would have hit her. Unlike Melinda, I wasn't startled by Chris' revelation. I could tell he was different.

Chris, or whoever he was, backed away, with a look of disgust on his face. "This is some sick joke. He must have done it. I won't fall for it. Not this time." The man who looked like Chris had gone shock white. He was stammering, panicking. Something that Melinda said had stuck a cord.

"Chris…what's wrong? Umm…we're in 1987 now, and Melinda really is your sister." I said cautiously. A sudden thought stuck me with a force of a speeding train. "I think you may be from an alternate reality or something", I said, ignoring how strange it sounded. "What's the last thing you remember?" I asked.

The man who was so similar to Chris sat down. His face strained in concentration. It was like he was really struggling to come up with an answer. "It's all kind of hazy", Chris said slowly. "I was in the manor…and…I think…I died!" Melinda's eyes went wide. I couldn't think of what to say.

How could Chris have died while we were gone? We can't have been gone more than a day. I felt something I hated feeling; confusion. "Chris…how…" I began. I put a hand on his arm and gasped. I pulled away, instinctively shutting my eyes as I was bombarded with images.

I saw a teenage Chris, huddled over the prone body of Aunt Piper, crying. Another flash and a slightly older Chris, holding Melinda with the imprint of a fireball on her chest. Chris as I knew him, standing in from of a glowing time portal, kissing a beautiful young lady.

I stumbled, stunned at how fast the premonition ended. It took me a moment to realize that I was crying. I looked at the man who was so different than cousin I knew. The Chris that was my cousin looked so young and carefree. I looked into his green eyes, which were somber and filled with such obvious pain. In a flash, I understood.

"Oh, Chris, I'm so sorry", I whispered. I looked around and saw that Grams and Melinda were still around me. They had not understood what I just did. Once again, it was up to me to explain. "This is my cousin Chris; only he's not Chris…he's from different future. A horrible future that he needed to change. That's why the spell sent him to us, he's time traveled before."

Chris' eyes went wide. He looked at me nervously. "What exactly did you see?" Chris asked his voice trembling. I paused a moment before answering. "Death", I admitted finally, "I saw lots of death." I rarely had premonitions and this had been one of the scarier ones. Chris just looked at me sadly.

"I'm sorry that you had to see that", he said finally. He looked really concerned. Melinda, Grams. And Leo were staring, still wide-eyes, still staring, still speechless. It was like Chris imitated them. I couldn't understand it, I felt perfectly comfortable talking to him.

"Do you think you can help us?" Melinda asked. I thought that was a silly question. Of course he could help us. Magic may work in mysterious ways, but it always works. I tried, with my empathic abilities to see if Chris was going to tell Melinda the truth. I couldn't, it was as if he was blocking me somehow. That never happened before.

"I don't know", Chris answered, "I've never traveled forward in time…but I'll try." Melinda smiled when he said this, and Chris tried in vain to return it. He was having trouble looking Melinda in the eye. I couldn't really blame him. If my sister Prudence had died, it would be so hard to see her again when I knew it would be the last time. I could empathize with Chris, even without my power. My sister's alive, thank goodness but I knew how much it would hurt to lose her.

After being uncharacteristically quiet, Grams finally spoke up. "I'm sort my dears", said Grams, in the polite voice I'd always hated, "I still don't quite understand." Uncle Leo said nothing but he looked deep in thought. I could tell he wanted to know, but he didn't want to pry.

"I'll try to explain…" Chris said slowly.

Explain is exactly what Chris did. For nearly a quarter of an hour he spoke into almost rapt silence. Both Melinda and I could tell that what Chris told was a greatly abridge version of the truth. While he talked both Melinda and I searched through his mind. We were surprised that he told Grams and Leo the truth, or at least most of it. Chris knew the risks but he ignored them.

Grams and Leo's reactions were horribly predictable. Grams clucked in disapproval when she leaned that Piper was to have two boys. Her disappointment quickly turned to a mixture of horror and pride when one of those boys would be the evil overlord of the world and the other would be the hero. Leo cried openly when Chris told them about his mother's death when he was 14. It was kind of weird that Leo already loved Piper when in this time, she was only 14.

This torrent of emotions was all around me, and I was having trouble blocking it all out. I tried my best to ignore them as Melinda and I once again had a conversation that no one else could hear.

'Poor you', Melinda thought sympathetically. 'Some people have a little trouble concentrating.'

I empathetically thought, 'I know. It's like they forgot that we really need to get home.' I glanced over at Chris, Grams and Uncle Leo. They were still deep in conversation. The speed at which their emotions changed and the intensity made me feel a bit nauseous.

'So…Your spell went well", I thought sarcastically.

'Shut up!' Melinda thought vehemently. Her cheeks had turned red, a clear sign that she was truly angry. Melinda was rarely angry, and I was one of the only ones to make her so. 'Besides', Melinda thought her normal calm composure slowly returning, my mom says, magic may work in mysterious ways, but it always works.'

I stuck my tongue out at her. 'I don't really care that your plan didn't work.', I thought. A small smile crept up on Melinda's pale face.

She thought, 'What is it you have in mind, my dear cousin?'

I smiled too; glad that my cousin had finally caught on. My mom sometimes said that Melinda and I were like two peas in a pod. She was right, of course. Melinda and I always thought along the same wavelength. 'I'm going to go interrupt the grown ups, so I can tell you all my marvelous idea', I thought.

I walked up to where Chris, Grams and Uncle Leo were sitting, Melinda followed behind me. Finally they had stopped talking, and their extreme feelings were much less intense, for that I was grateful. I cleared my throat loudly, and everyone looked up. "Everyone I have an idea. Firstly, I need a large basin filled with water. The larger, the better." Too stunned to speak, Grams complied. She returned moments later with a larger copper pot, often used for spells.

"Great", I said. I loved the feeling of taking authority.

'Can you at least tell me the plan?' Melinda thought telepathically.

'Fine', I thought grumpily, 'I'm going to scry so I can see our family in the future. Melinda shot me a questioning look, but I ignored her. Unlike her, I knew what I was doing.

Now you…Leo, get me a scrying crystal", I said authoritively. Leo just like Grams, looked flabbergasted. There was nothing else he could say, so he rummaged around the cupboards until he found a clear crystal hanging from a long string.

"What exactly are you going to do?" Grams asked suspiciously. Just what I needed, a suspicious grandmother. I had thought that she trusted me.

"I'm going to drop this crystal into the water, along with this bracelet that happens to belong to my sister. I'll chant a handy little spell my aunt taught me, and I'll be able to see exactly where and when she is," I said. She still looked a little skeptical. It was time that I offered her a little proof.

"I dropped the crystal in the basin, and then the bracelet. The clear liquid within turned a shinning crimson, and then the purest of whites. Melinda's uncharacteristic look of confusion was replaced with understanding and a touch of excitement. Her clear blue eyes shone in the dim light of the attic. She too had learned this spell, and she knew exactly what it could do. I looked into the swirling white substance, a bit nervous at what I would see. Would my family miss me?

I cleared my throat, and chanted the spell that I had long ago memorized.

"_Ancient ones, hear my rhyme,_

_And help me in this dire time._

_To find the one I wish to find,_

_See where they are, in place, and time!"_

The spell worked instantly. The pure white liquid instantly returned to its clear state. We all crowed around the basin in time to see an image of this very attic. It was different, however, just as I remembered it. It was crowed with people. There was my mother, my older sister Prue, Melinda's brothers, Chris and Wyatt, our mutual cousins Charlotte and Patricia (or Charlie and Patty as they preferred), Uncle Kyle and even Uncle Leo. I fell a bit ashamed to admit it, but I was really happy that they were all really worried about me.

**TBC…**


	4. Meanwhile

**Chapter 4: Meanwhile**

**A/N: Finally, I finished this! And managed to type it. It's taking me forever. Maybe it's because I mostly write this in French class. I love you reviewers! Carmix AKA anime-obsessed, I love how you type this, but I just couldn't wait. Your reviews are great, keep them up. Everyone else…I love you! Please keep reviewing!**

What happened in the attic that warm sunny day was a rare occurrence. The whole family, minus two very important members, was in the same place at the same time. Piper, Phoebe and Paige were still exceptionally close, as far as sisters went, but now they all had their own families and their own lives. At least one of the children always had something to do. Wyatt worked, Chris had charges, Charlie and Patty always had some activity or other. What had brought them together was a crisis.

Piper hated leaving any of the children in her family alone for even a moment. She felt unbearably guilty. After going to the store for a short half hour, she came home to a terribly empty house. Her precious baby girl Melinda and her niece Patience, whom she loved as much as her own child, were no where to be seen. She felt sick even thinking of the horrible possibilities.

All around the attic, there were signs of anxiety. Piper was doing what she always did when she was nervous, she cleaned. Prue's shinny black hair was in her mouth, a nervous habit she had lost in adolescence, but got back suddenly. Charlie was sitting in a corner, uncharacteristically quiet. Patty was nearly in tears. Phoebe was very pale, her mind unwillingly going back to the night Prue had died. Her sister's death devastated her, but if Patience were to die…she would die too. Phoebe violently shuddered at the thought.

For several painful moments, after Piper had frantically called the entire family, there was an uncomfortable, almost painful, silence. They knew that time was fleeting. They knew that the longer they waited, the greater the chance that something horrible had happened. Still the couldn't do anything useful, because that would made their fear all the more real. Finally, Paige couldn't take the silence anymore.

"We need to do something", Paige said definitively. Nobody answered her. So the silence continued; as did the pacing.

"What do we do?" Prue finally asked no one in particular.

"No idea", Piper answered sadly.

The horrible, painful silence enveloped them once again. "I'm open to suggestions!" Leo said angrily. Leo often got angry, but the only time he openly displayed it like that when he was worried. The only response he got was a shrug from Phoebe. Then Leo was furious in a way I had never witnessed before.

"MY LITTLE GIRL IS MISSING AND YOU'RE DOING NOTHING!" Leo roared. Discarded potion bottles flew off the table and hit the wall, shattering into a million pieces. No one knew how to react to that. Chris stood up quickly. Everyone stared at him, clearly not realizing that he was in the room. He had been unusually quiet.

"You don't have the right to call her that", Chris said, more coldly than anyone had ever heard him speak. His bright green eyes flashed menacingly.

"And why don't I?" Leo asked his tone defiant.

Chris' teeth were clenched. His hands were curled into fists. It was as if he was trying not to blow up – or blow someone else up for that matter. Chris launched into a tirade that he had been clearly holding in for years.

"The only way you are Melina's father, my father, or Wyatt's father is biologically. You are not our father in any way that counts. Have you seen one of her piano recitals? Did you ever meet her teacher? Do you know anything about her? Her favourite colour? Food? Sport? Anything?" Leo was completely silent. "I knew the answer was no. You are not her father, and you never were."

Leo opened his mouth to say something, and rapidly closed it. He was stunned, unable to say a word. Without making a sound, he orbed out, leaving the Halliwells in his wake. The silence was back again, more painful than ever. No one knew what to do or how to act.

Phoebe looked up with a curious expression on her face. "I've just remembered something", she said in wonderment.

"What is it mom?" Prue asked, looking up instantly. She was much more jittery than usual. She may rarely show it, but Prue really cared about her little sister.

Phoebe looked at her oldest daughter and jerked her head in a non-committal way. "I'm not sure", my mother admitted. "This memory just popped in my head and I'm positive that it wasn't there before. I was twelve, and I remember meeting distant cousins named Patience and Melinda. They looked an awful lot like our missing girls."

Piper scrunched up her face in concentration. "That's funny", she said in a strange voice, "I don't remember that at all." Phoebe's dark brown eyes lit up. She was on to something both exciting and terrifying at the same time.

"You don't think they…" Phoebe started.

"No", Piper said firmly.

"They couldn't", Paige said finally catching on, "they wouldn't."

Charlie hated when her mother and her aunts finished each other's sentences like that. It made her feel shut out from everything.

"What are you talking about?" she asked angrily. None of them answered. Without a word, Phoebe walked to the book of Shadows and opened it to a page that was written in a hand that none of them recognized. The title said "to move backwards through time." What followed was a spell, and instructions for a potion. None of the Charmed Ones had any reason to believer that either Patience or Melinda had said the spell. The potion, however, was an intriguing possibility. Everyone knew of Patience's carelessness when it came to potion making.

"Look", Wyatt said, "there on the floor." They all kneeled down, noticing for the first time what a mess the attic floor was. Herbs were strewn everywhere. Broken glass from potion vials littered the wood floor. It was clear that Patience and Melinda had been making potions, and they had been interrupted.

"Do you really think they could have time traveled without meaning to?" Kyle asked.

"Sure", answered Patty, "you know what aunt Piper always says…"

"Of course", Wyatt added, "it is true that when your mother's a Charmed One, anything can happen."

None of them noticed that Chris was gone. He couldn't stand staying in that room anymore. Chris went where he always went whenever he was upset. He orbed, unnoticed and unseen, to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. He watched the cars whiz past. They had a calming effect on him. His anger slowly ebbed away. He was blocking his family's sensing powers. They would only find him if he wanted them to.

"Chris?" a soft voice said from a beam parallel to his. Chris spun around to see his father standing on the beam. He kicked himself for not remembering that Leo came here too. He was about to orb out, when his father's voice stopped him in his tracts.

"I'm sorry son", Leo said with sadness in his voice. Chris was flabbergasted. Leo never admitted he was wrong, and he rarely called him son. Chris' closed expression softened for a split second, but he quickly pulled himself together.

"I'm too late", Chris said coldly. Chris didn't mean it, not really. Chris resisted showing weakness in his father's presence. If he showed weakness, it made it hurt more when Leo disappointed him. Leo sighed a very large sigh, his shoulders slumping.

"You're right", Leo admitted, "about everything." I was what Chris had always wished for, every single birthday. All he had ever wanted from Leo was an apology, and an admission. He stole a glance at his father, surprised to see tears in his clear blue eyes. Not once, in all of his 23 years of life, had he seen his father cry. Despite his best efforts, he felt a tear form in the corners of his emerald eyes.

"I don't hate you", Chris said softly. Leo smiled through his tears. Leo moved forward to hug his son, but though better of it. Chris held out his hand, and Leo took it, shaking it vigorously. Father and son said nothing, at a loss for words.

"Well…see you around son", Leo said somberly. He orbed out in a swirl of blue-white lights, leaving Chris alone on the bridge.

"I love you dad", Chris said into nothingness…

The image in the water faded and died. As one, we all took a step backwards. I turned to Melinda and I saw tears in her eyes. She tried to pretend that Leo's frequent absences didn't bother her. Knowing her, as I did, I know that that was a lie. Everything that Leo did, or didn't do, affected her deeply.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm sorry he's still like that", the Chris in our attic said. I looked once again at Melinda. She was looking at Leo, studying him intently.

"Melinda", Leo whispered. He looked crestfallen, appalled by the behaviour that he had witnessed from his future self. Melinda looked up as she heard her name. She shot her father a vehement look. Her eyes, so like Leo's, were filled with a mixture of pain and anger.

"Shut up", Melinda said bitterly. She would never forgive Leo. I then saw Leo do what he had done so many times in the future. He disappeared in a swirl of blue-white lights.

I finally tore my eyes away from Leo, to look at Grams. I knew this was a lot for her to take. She was getting a little teary, something I had never seen before. She walked to Melinda, who was standing there, shocked, and wrapped her in a motherly embrace.

This had been a trying ordeal for all of us. All I wanted to do at that moment was to go home. I walked to the Book of Shadows. This book was a great source of comfort for me. It was always an answer for all of my problems. I ran my finger along the green cover. The moment I touched the cover, my mind was assaulted with a series of images.

I saw a darkened cave. A large red demon with black markings. He threw a fire-ball into a crumbling wall. Another muscular demon. Secret plans. Murder. It was all so jumbled.

I gasped, and I took an involuntary step backwards. It took me a moment to realize that I was trembling from head to toe. I hoped against all hope that what I had seen would never happen.

"Patience, What did you see?" Melinda asked nervously.

I gulped, trying to control my trembling. My voice, barely a whisper as I answered, "My dad…"

**TBC…**


	5. Daddy Dearest

**Chapter 5 – Daddy Dearest**

**A/N: I really like this chapter, especially the end. I want to again thank Carmix for typing most of it for me…you are so cool. All my reviewers keep reviewing. I own nothing. **

Melinda gaped at me open-mouthed. "But your dad…he's…well evil", Melinda said apologetically. I sighed.

"I know he is", I admitted sadly, "that's the problem." Most demons didn't frighten me. I had been exposed to demons for as long as I could remember. Fighting them came as second nature. There was only one demon that could haunt my nightmares, the demon Balthazar, Cole Tuner, my father.

"What are we going to do?" Melinda asked worriedly. My cousin was unusually pale. She knew what my father could do. Just as I had, she had experienced what he could do first hand. Simultaneously, we shuddered, remembering the last time we had encountered him. It almost destroyed my mother when she had to vanquish him again. She had really thought that he was a good man that he had truly changed. She still loved him.

What could he was from us, here and now? "Your father's…Cole?" Chris asked tenderly. He was different from the Chris we knew, but he still knew of Cole. I concentrated, trying to sense the emotions attached to that name. For once, this Chris wasn't blocking me. I sensed, anger, sadness, loss, and longing, all attached to the name Cole Turner, "Yeah," I said sighing. Chris and Melinda weren't the only Halliwells with father issues. "He's up to something sinister."

Grams walked over to us. I had almost forgotten that she was there. "I'm sorry my dears", she said gracefully, "But I'm a little lost." I looked at my great-grandmother with slight pity. I would have to explain the situation with my father. I sat down, trying to think of the best way to begin.

"It's a long story," I admitted finally.

"I have time Patience," Grams said. She sat down, and waited for me to begin. I fidgeted in my seat, not really wanting to talk about it, not wanted to explain.

Grams said, "I also have patience, which despite your name you don't have," I forced a laugh at her overused joke.

"Very funny", I said sarcastically. I thought of the best way to tell the story I heard so many times. The best place to start, as with any story, was at the beginning. I took a deep breath and began.

"A long time before I was born, my mom fell in love with a half demon named Cole Tuner. Without meaning to, Cole fell in love with her. His human side won out, and for several years, they fought evil together. When my mother and aunts vanquished the source of all evil, he was possessed by the source. They vanquished him twice before they believed he was gone for good. But like he always does, he came back."

I paused there in my story. I was becoming a little breathless. That's where the story became complicated. IT also became hard to believe, even by my standards.

"Go on," Grams prodded. I looked to my cousin, hoping for some sort of support. She just shrugged her shoulders. I understood, she couldn't really help me. This was something I had to do on my own.

"First, I should tell you that my older sister Prue is actually my half sister," I said. Prue and I are as close as sisters can be so I often forgot that we didn't have the same father. I found it difficult to continue. I was approaching the part that was painful, the part that was difficult to discuss.

"Prue's dad was never very acceptant of magic, and he left mom before Prue was born," I continued. Now I was reaching the topic of my father, a topic I tried to avoid at all costs. I sighed and continued, "My dad came back from the dead, like he always does."

I paused again. This was hard for me, and I wasn't sure exactly how to explain. Melinda knew me well enough to know that I had said all that I was going to say. 'It's okay Patience,' Melinda said into my head, 'I'll finish for you.'

'Thanks,' I thought, filled with gratitude.

"He went to Aunt Phoebe, since he had always lover her," said Melinda. She was continuing exactly where I had left off. "She forgave him, because when he was the source it wasn't his fault. She had always loved him. They got married when Prue was three. Two years later Patience was born."

Melinda continued, "Cole gave up his powers to be a better father to Patience. Cold couldn't handle being powerless. He became evil again, mad with power. The Charmed Ones had to vanquish him."

I let out a breath I was unaware that I had been holding in. I was relieved that the story was over. It was a very painful story for me to hear, because it was my story. I saw Chris stand up quickly. His dark green eyes swept the attic wearily. He was looking for something invisible.

"Patience, what exactly did you see?" he asked sharply.

I explained my vision, and Chris became, if possible, more worried. His eyes swept the attic once again, resting on a bare patch of wall. "There's someone here that shouldn't be," he said tensely. He made a slight nod towards the wall again.

Chris stuck out his arm and made a pulling motion. There was a pop, and a demon appeared. For a split second the demon was colored the same way as the wood of the attic. Immediately, the demon became bright green and lizard like.

A chameleon demon," Melinda said in awe. Chris took it upon himself to take charge of the situation. I had never faced a chameleon demon before, so for Chris' help, I was grateful.

The demon form was blurring, becoming indefinite. Chris was quick to action. "Demon hiding in our home this spell will keep you from changing form!" Chris chanted. The chameleon demon's shape returned to its solid state. Chris didn't even give it time to regain its footing. He had a fist and the demon clutched its neck, gasping for breath. A moment later, the demon exploded into a million flaming pieces.

"He heard everything we were saying," Chris said glumly. Gram finally spoke up.

"How did you know he was there?" she asked.

"I sensed him," Chris answered almost as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The real question is who hired him." The Book of Shadows fluttered open, answering our question as it often did. It opened to the page entitled the demon Balthazar. The page looked strangely bare without my mother's photographs and scribbled notes about the man, Cole Turner.

Grams looked over at the entry. "It says there no known vanquish," Grams said, "but I suppose we could make a standard upper-level demon vanquishing potion with a bit of his flesh." She ran his fingers thoughtfully over the page. She began muttering to herself.

"NO!" shouted Melinda, Chris and I in unison. Grams eyes were wide at our sudden outburst.

"If you vanquish him, I cease to exist," I added quickly. Her arms dropped lamely to her sides, looking utterly defeated.

"So what on earth are we supposed to do?" Grams asked sounding bewildered.

Me shoulders slumped and I sighed. This was the question I had been dreading, the one in which I had no answer. My father was going to try and kill us and we couldn't try and kill him back. We could never fight back, not offensively.

Chris looked just as defeat as I felt. "We can't do anything," he said in a stunned voice. I was about to agree when I felt a strange coldness seep into the center of my being. I shiver, I felt a strange pull, something familiar yet strange. In a rush, I understood what it meant.

"He's coming," I said in a panic. I was sensing my father with the connection I unfortunate had with him. He was on his way, I was sure.

"Cole? Here? Now? How can you tell?" Melinda asked in a rush. She was jumpier then usual.

"I sensed him. We have a connection. He is my father." I said in disgust.

"When is he coming?" Chris asked. I cast out my senses, trying to figure that out. It didn't take me long to feel his presence. It was much stronger than before. He was very angry.

"NOW!" I yelled. In a rush of flames, he was there, as were three other smaller demons. I took a step backwards. I was disgusted by his red towering demonic form, but I couldn't look away. The unknown demons were after Melinda, Chris and Grams. The three fought valiantly. I understood what the other demons were for, they were a distraction. Cole's only target was me.

Cole was quick to form a fireball and throw it at me. I was quick to dodge it. I attempted to deliver a strong roundhouse kick to his side, but I nearly broke my foot. His demonic form was much more muscular than I had remembered.

He seemed to abandon his idea of a fireball, thinking that I could easily dodge it. Instead he came up behind me. Before I could do a thing, before I could even scream, he began chocking me. No one had noticed, they had their own battles to fight.

I was gasping for breath, the world dimming. All the while Cole's eyes didn't leave my face. The sick thing about my father was that he seemed to take pleasure in my pain. I began to panic, my breaths becoming more ragged. I was going to die, looking in my father black, soulless eyes. Still no one had noticed.

With one of my last breaths I gasped, "Leo," I didn't want to call for him, I didn't want to see him but I had no choice. He appeared almost instantly. It had always been my instinct to call for Leo when I was in trouble, I couldn't help it.

Momentarily shocked by Leo's presence, Cole loosened his grip and I fell to the floor. The past version of Leo wasted no time in placing a glowing, healing hand over my throat. I felt better instantly. I regained my footing and looked around. The smaller demons had not stopped fighting, and neither had my father.

"You dare try and stop me!" My father yelled in an inhuman voice. There was a puff of black smoke, and in his hand there was something I recognized; a darklighter arrow. Before anyone could do anything besides turn and look, he shot, his aim perfect.

The arrow soared through the air, and hit Leo square in the chest. I could tell that it had pierced his heart. His eyes opened wide in horror. In a brief sickening second Leo remained standing, gasping for breath. As if in slow motion, he arched backwards and fell to the floor. He was dead before he hit the ground.

The unknown demons stopped fighting, transfixed. In tandem of their father, Chris and Melinda gasped. They began fading and quickly disappearing all together. Their father was dead and they had just ceased to exist. It was all my fault.

I let tears fall freely from my eyes. I felt so hollow and empty inside. Grams too, was crying, even though she couldn't possibly understand how much my cousins meant to me. My father grinned and the demons shimmered out as one. I felt utterly alone.

"I'm sorry Patience," Grams said.

I barely heard her. Actually, I didn't really care what she had to say anymore. This was it. My life was over. Standing there, stewing in my own tears, something strange happened. The unbearable grief I was feeling began to disappear. Instead, it was replaced by hot boiling anger. I had never felt this angry before. I wanted to physically hurt the ones who took my cousins away. I wanted to kill. I wanted revenge.

My body began to feel like it was bubbling. In a surge, I felt my skin expanding, my teeth elongating... The strangest thing about the feeling, was the hatred. The pure primal hatred. Instead of being disgusted by it, I embraced it. It made me feel indestructible; powerful. I looked in the mirror, and no longer saw my familiar reflection. I saw a large red demon, with black tribal marking, long fangs, and yellow eyes, like a cat. I looked so similar to my father.

If I was thinking normally, I would have wondered how this could have happened. Now though, I didn't care. In fact, whatever the reason was, I welcomed it. I supposed it was because since I was in the past; technically, my mother had not bound my demonic powers. I raised my now red scaled head to look at Grams. She was looking at me with wide eyes. I took a step towards her, and she did not back away.

"Patience…I can help you", Grams said, her voice trembling.

I laughed mirthlessly, my voice sounding inhuman…evil. She couldn't help me; not now, not anymore. I growled, baring all of my newly pointing teeth. I felt very different, but in a very good way. All of my life, I had been virtually powerless in our families fight against demons. Now I can do something. No had ever told me how good evil can feel. I felt my anger rise, and a fireball formed in my clawed hand.

I threw it into the wall, loving the feeling of the power I held. It hit the wall, shaking the attic a little, leaving a scorch mark in its wake. It left Grams a little stunned, but I really didn't care. All I cared about now was who to kill to bring Chris and Melinda back. The desire for revenge was much sweeter than I had expected.

Without looking back once, I shimmered out. Somehow, I knew where I was going. I ended up in a dark cave in the underworld. There were demons all around me, but they didn't give me a second glance. Under normal circumstances, the underworld always inspired a certain fear in me. Today, I felt perfectly at home. I was evil now, and I liked it…

**TBC…**


	6. A Walk on the Wild Side

**Chapter 6: A Walk on the Dark Side **

**A/N: Thanks to all of those who reviewed, because I love you all. Keep reviewing, than I'll keep writing. I must mention Carmix again…so thanks for sharing my enthusiasm in halfies and ceasing to exist! I actually know what's gonna happen in the next three chapters. Enjoy! **

I hadn't been in the underworld many times before now. The main reason is that my family didn't believe me capable of dealing with the demons. Needless to say, I wasn't extremely familiar with the place. Some demon sense I was unaware I had began to take over. My feet moved automatically. I felt like a hunter stalking her pray, and that felt damn good.

I stopped at a cavern occupied with a solitary lower level demon, hunched over a cauldron. If I had been my normal self, I might have taken the time to formulate a plan. My demonic side was taking over, and I didn't object. I boldly stepped forward, a fireball already in my hand. I threw it at him. It was not to defend myself, as fighting demons usually was, but to hurt him, to kill him.

I aimed a little to the demon's left purposely. He jumped in surprise. I didn't only want to kill him. That would be too easy. I wanted this demon to suffer. I didn't know how I knew, but I knew that this demon held the key to bringing my cousins back. I wanted to make this demon feel as much pain as I was feeling. I made an athame materialize in my hand; another new power. I rushed the lowly demon and held the athame against his throat.

He squirmed beneath the blade. It was clear that he wasn't a threat. I was the threat now. I pressed the blade against his throat, relishing the trickle of blood that it brought. "If you don't tell me exactly what I need to know", I snarled, "I might just let this knife – slip." I moved the knife again, brushing his putrid grey skin ever so slightly. The demon was blubbering now. I scoffed. Some great demon he was.

"Nothing, I know nothing", the demon cried. I smiled a crooked evil smile. This demon was in my power now. I was the one in control. If I so chose, I could make him beg for his life. I held the demon by the collar of his shirt, and threw him into the wall. This evil thing sure was satisfying. I had the power, and I could do what I chose with it.

"Tell me how to bring back a dead whitelighter", I snarled. I formed another fireball and threw it just an inch short of the demon's head. "Next time, I won't miss."

"Of course miss, I will tell you miss", the demon said, nearly tripping over his feet as he bowed. He was now showing me the kind of respect I deserved. I'm the most powerful demon there is, and I'm pissed. I felt the anger again, surging horrible anger. I needed to save my cousins, and this demon was wasting my valuable time.

I made a fist, and the demon chocked and sputtered. I was taking a life with my power. I thought that it would be horrible, I had seen demons do it often enough. It felt so good to be the one with the power for once. "A-ritual….in the Bo…book…there", the demon coughed. I released my grip, and the demon fell to the floor.

I walked to the book, running my hands over his the black grime encrusted cover. This was a grimoire, an evil book of shadows. Grimoires were supposed to repel good. I picked it up. Far from repelling me, it felt right in my arms. I wasn't one of the good guys anymore. Evil felt right, perfect with my uncontrollable anger.

I ran my hands over the book, adding its considerable power to my own. I had absorbed all of its knowledge in a matter of seconds. I needed this power, to feel in control. I felt like since Melinda and Chris were gone, I had been falling, and would keep falling until I got even. For once, when I was angry, I was going to do something about it.

The ritual was not complex, but it involved doing something I had never done before. It involved the blood of an innocent. I was still angry, furious in fact, but I doubted, only for a split second that I could hurt an innocent. Thankfully, the innocent didn't need to be dead for the ritual to work. My doubt was placed almost immediately with certainty. Someone needed to pay, and it didn't matter who.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the demon turning to leave. I could have easily let him go. He was not a threat, and he had given me what I needed. The demon in me would not let that happen. She needed to cause others pain for it lessened the pain she was feeling, if not for a second. She no longer feared hurting an innocent. To get her cousins back she would do anything, even kill.

Besides, I liked being a demon. I felt so uninhibited and powerful. If Melinda was here she would probably be worried that demon inside was consuming me. I imagined laughing at her. I would tell her that this is who I am, who I am meant to be. I then remembered why I had become this demon in the first place. Because of who I was, Melinda was gone. I roared, the anger getting the better of me again. Everything was my fault, and I would rip out as many throats as I could to fix it. Finally, I could do something; take out this anger on someone. Someone had to pay.

The demon was almost out of the cave. I couldn't let him leave, not the way he had spoken to me. I let the anger take me over again, forming a large ball of swirling fire. I threw it, this time aiming for the center of his chest. It hit exactly where I intended it to. Flames swirled around the demon, and for a moment he was screaming in agony, which I strangely enjoyed. Then, he was nothing but a pile of ash.

I shimmered out, my strange demonic senses once again taking control. I ended up in a darkened alleyway that at first looked deserted. It took me a moment to spot the person my new powers had led me too. He was clothed in rags, and he smelt strongly of alcohol. This wouldn't be as difficult as I had previously thought. It was easy to hate him, and it would be easy to hurt him.

The man was slumped against the wall, oblivious to the world. I stood before him, as menacing as I could possibly be. I picked him up effortlessly by his colour. I envisioned him as the one to blame, the one who had caused everything. "LOOK AT ME!" I yelled menacingly. He looked up, and a look of horror came across his face. I wasn't afraid of exposure…in fact, I wasn't afraid of anything anymore.

The man was shaking, begging for his life. It was pathetic. I had no time for this. I had blood to get…rituals to perform. I threw him to the ground. I looked down at my new hand, full of pointed claws. I swiped them across the man's face, pulling a handful of blood. I shimmered away, leaving the man writhing on the ground. He would be fine, but I hoped he wouldn't be.

I reappeared in the attic, my head spinning. Grams was still there, on the sofa, reading her hands. Another thing that was still there was Leo's body. I couldn't stand to look at him, and I couldn't stand that Grams was here, doing nothing. I don't need her or anyone else anymore. My mother is a Charmed One, and my father was once the source of all evil. I should be able to do anything.

I began searching through the cupboards, throwing jars of unknown substances left and right. Finally, I found the jar I was looking for. I grabbed a pot, and poured all of its contents inside. Carefully I let the blood drip from my hand and into the pot. There was a puff of loud smoke. It was working.

"What are you doing?" Grams asked tentatively. How dare she ask me such a question? I was doing what she would not. I was doing something to get my cousins back. Perhaps she was intimidated by my demonic form. I did not know. Nor did I care. Grams was in my way, and I wanted her to leave.

"LEAVE NOW!" I yelled vehemently. I waved my arm, and grams flew out of the room. I locked the door with a thought and a wave of my hand. I didn't mean to blow up at her, but she had to understand that I had to do this. The potion I had created from the blood and the herbs sat for five minutes, just as the book said it should. It stopped bubbling, which meant it was ready.

I poured it over Leo's still visible wound, and watched in fascination as the wound disappeared. Leo's eyes fluttered open, and he looked up at me. It wasn't really Leo I wanted to save; I only cared about Chris and Melinda. They were no where to be seen. I felt the fireball form in my hand, which happened when I was angry. I roared in frustration, throwing yet another fireball at the wall, causing the entire room to shake.

Leo stumbled to his feet. "What do you want?" Leo gasped. He was looking at me in fear. I truly meant him no harm…not yet anyways.

"Leo", I started. Then I decided against it. Screw him. He had not brought my cousin back, so I didn't need them anymore. I growled, letting him think that I really meant to kill him. He orbed out. I didn't really want him hear. Nothing I had done had meant anything.

I heard Grams downstairs, greeting a young Piper, asking how the party had gone. Still neither Melinda nor Chris had reappeared. Who did I have to kill to fix things? Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, I had ruined everything. I was angry; at my father, at demons, at the elders, at Leo, at Grams, at Chris, at Melinda; but mostly, I was angry at myself. I growled deep and low. It was an inhuman growl, like that of a wounded animal. I didn't like it.

"What was that?" I heard young Piper ask from downstairs. Grams stammered that it was probably just the wind. Good old Grams and her preposterous explanations.

Melinda and Chris were never coming back; there was nothing I could do. I had not hurt anyone, not made anyone feel like I felt. No one had paid. I would kill everyone who had anything remotely to do with this. I swear it. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I was shocked that I was repelled at what I saw.

It wasn't exactly the look of my new form that had me so disgusted. It was the look of I saw in my yellow eyes. It was a look of pure evil. I looked away from the mirror, not bearing to look. Now that I could no longer see what I had become, all of my doubts and insecurities had vanished. I was strong now. I was indestructible. Nothing could hurt me, not anymore.

'_Come on Melinda, where are you?' _I thought desperately. There was no answer, not that I had expected any. Why was she not here? I hadn't done anything wrong. I was more than angry now. I was furious. I looked at the podium holding the book of shadows, and it began to smoke. Quickly, I blew it out. Why is it that every time I was angry something had to burst into flames?

I was contemplating who I should kill next when I saw it. A blue hypnotizing glow was coming from the attic wall. It was a portal, in the same place portals always formed. A very familiar teenage boy stumbled out. He had very messy dirty blond hair, slate gray eyes, and extremely long arms and legs. I say he stumbled out, because he literally tripped over his feet on his way out of the portal. He was a gawky clumsy fire starter named Aidan, and we were friends.

"I did it! I can't believe I did it!" he said in triumph. He then looked up, and saw what I had become. Something new, something strange, replace the boiling angry that had become all I could feel. I felt a flicker of embarrassment, but it passed quickly. I didn't want Aidan seeing me like this.

"Whoa!" he said, looking at me. He narrowed his eyes, and I felt a painless flame on my finger tip. I shook it off as if it was no more than a fly. He backed away from me, looking very afraid. For the first time since I had changed, I didn't want him to be afraid. I didn't take joy from his pain like I had from others'.

"Wait, it's me Patience", I said in a rush. My voice sounded much scarier than I intended. He studied me carefully, until his eyes went wide. He didn't look that frightened anymore.

"What happened?" he asked in a bewildered voice. I found that I really didn't want him to know, and I hated him for his nosiness.

"NONE OF YOUR BUISNESS!" I roared. An old chest in the corner of the attic burst into flame. I watched it burn for a moment, getting lost in its embers. He concentrated on it, and the flame went out. I was a bit disappointed. I turned away from him. I didn't want him looking at me…not like this.

I turned my back on him, and tried my best not to look. I was still angry, but behind that anger was also a bit of embarrassment. My anger surged to the surface again, for failing, for being alone, for looking like I did…for everything. A wall of flame sprang up from the floor, separating Aidan and myself. He was trying to make it disappear, but I knew it wouldn't work. I was just a lot more powerful than him.

"Patience, please just listen to me", Aidan pleaded.

"No!" I shouted. I was trying to sound menacing, but I just ended up sounding lame. He ignored my pleas, and ploughed forward.

"I know you", he said firmly. "You're not like this. You're the kindest, most gentle person I know. You wouldn't hurt a fly. It's just not who you are. You are a good witch, and you make the world a better place", he said passionately.

I just started to him. His blue-gray eyes looked so honest and sincere. I didn't want to believe him. I was horrible, a monster. I wanted to hurt people, to kill them. That couldn't be forgivable…could it? But then I looked again into Aidan's eyes, now filled with tears. He really and truly meant what he said. The more I thought about it, the more I knew it was true.

I felt my skin begin to bubble again, this time returning to its smooth soft state. My eyes returned to brown, and my hair long and dark. A wave of sorrow washed over me, and I collapsed into Aidan's arms. I was openly sobbing now. He tightened his grip on me protectively. Over his shoulder, I saw a small fire start on an old wicker basket. That always happened when he was nervous.

There was a loud pop, and Aidan pulled away slightly. I remained in his arms, because I felt so safe there. Aidan was my friend, though. It wasn't as if I liked him like that. Melinda and Wyatt appeared in the attic, looking the same as they ever did. I felt a great leaping joy in my chest. I had done it! Before I could disentangle myself from Aidan's arms, before I could say anything, Melinda said something that let me know she was back to her old self.

"Is that Aidan Pierce?" she asked incredulously. Then she began to laugh, mocking me. Chris looked as though he was trying to hold it in, but then he began to laugh too. They had caught me in a somewhat compromising position. Melinda didn't even wait for me to answer. "Patience likes Aidan, Aidan likes Patience", she teased.

I saw Aidan turn a bright red. How cute, he was blushing. I didn't make fun of him for it, because, from the burning in my cheeks, I could tell that I was pretty much the same colour. I looked over Aidan's shoulder at the fire he had started. I was almost certain that the fire was burning much brighter.

**TBC…**


	7. Awkward Moments

**Chapter 7: Awkward Moments**

**A/N: Thanks to all of my lovely reviewers. You make my day! A special thanks for Carmen, for listening when I constantly talk about this in French and history. In honor of Carmen, Patience's middle name is Carmen. By the way, I like long reviews. Enjoy. **

Two days had passed since Aidan had appeared in the attic. Grams had done a good job explaining his appearance. He was now the son of a family friend that I had never heard of. We had relaxed a bit on the whole getting home thing. It wasn't going anywhere, so there was really no point in pushing it.

I saw a lot of Phoebe and Piper over the time I was in the past. Aunt Piper mostly stayed out of my way, but the young version of my mother wanted to be my best friend. Just like the mother I knew, she wouldn't leave me alone.

Melinda wasn't any better. I was glad she was back; ecstatic even. She just wouldn't stop her relentless teasing. Every time I saw her, she would mockingly think, 'Patience likes Aidan.' Loud enough for me to hear. If she teased me telepathically, no one else could tell her to stop. My cousin was too crafty for her own good.

It wasn't as though it was true or anything. Aidan was my friend since childhood, nothing more. He was a bit clumsy and awkward at times, but it wasn't as though I liked him…in that way. I liked him as a friend, sure, but nothing more.

When Piper and Phoebe were at school, Grams had no choice, but to leave us home alone. We were supposed to be researching a way to get home, but that got boring after a while.

We had gone through the book of shadows dozens of times, and that was pretty much our only source of information. The spell Aidan had used to get here would be of no use because it was a one time thing. Aidan didn't think things through enough.

Melinda had gotten a strange idea into her head. She loved horror movies, and she wanted us all to watch a really old one on TV. She made a really big deal about it, making us popcorn and everything. Chris decided to take a rare break from his demon hunting, and joined us as well. The order on the couch was me, Aidan, Chris and Melinda. Melinda had sworn to me that the order was totally coincidental.

I had never seen the movie, but Aidan told me he had seen it hundreds of times. He was into that sort of thing. The movie was much scarier than I had expected. People eating other people just didn't bode well with me.

A particularly scary part, with the main character being eaten alive flashed across the screen. I screeched, and grabbed onto Aidan's arm. I realized what I was doing, and practically jumped off him. I felt myself begin to blush. Then I screamed, because a fake plant in the corner burst into flames.

I'd like to take this opportunity to explain something about Aidan. When he gets extremely nervous, things tend to burst into flames. Once, he was really nervous about a test he didn't study for, everyone ended up with a burnt paper. I guess that the movie really scared him. Come to think of it…he wasn't much looking at the movie.

The fire was put out quickly, but that didn't stop my cousins' relentless teasing. "So when's the wedding?" Melinda asked mockingly. I glared menacingly at her. Aidan was a good friend, and nothing more. Her statement was totally ridiculous…wasn't it?

Aidan was unusually quiet during our improvised lunch. I didn't dare ask him about the fire. Instead, I observed him. He was chewing his cheese sandwich slowly, with an almost mournful expression on his face. I found myself looking at his lips. He did have nice lips. 'No. I mustn't think about that', I scolded myself.

I wanted more ketchup, so I stood up in my chair to get some. The table was pretty crowded. I had to reach over Aidan to get the ketchup. Predictably, I chose that moment to be clumsy. I tripped over thin air, and landed in Aidan's lap. Again.

The lid of the ketchup I was reaching for burst into flames. I was quick to pick myself up and blow out the fire. It didn't matter. The damage was already done. Aidan turned the brightest shad of red that I had ever seen, and mumbled inaudible words of apology. I was sure that I was blushing too. Melinda ran out of the room, laughing hysterically. I was glad that Chris had decided to go demon hunting. If he was here, I'd never hear the end of it.

Of course, I didn't like Aidan in the way Melinda though I did. Still, he was a really nice guy, and I felt a bit sorry for him. I had never seen him that nervous before, and I had known him my own life. All of the fire incidents had preceded an embarrassing incident involving me. Did I really make him that nervous?

I hated to admit it, but he made me sort of nervous too. That didn't mean I loved him. Did it? I liked him as a friend. He was smart, nice, and maybe a little cute. He did have nice eyes, a sort of grayish blue you could get lost in. That **so **didn't mean that I liked him in that way.

Whether or not I was in love with Aidan Pierce truthfully, was a mystery to me. What did happen was that for the next few hours, I did my best to avoid Aidan. It wasn't as easy as it seemed. Halliwell manor suddenly became very small. Right before Piper and Phoebe were due to be home, I literally bumped into him. I saw smoke rise from the carpet, but it quickly subsided. Perhaps he was beginning to control his fire starting.

The strangest thing happened when Piper and Phoebe got home. Piper went up to her room with nothing more than a mumbled hello. That wasn't what was so strange. The moment Phoebe walked in the door; she attached herself to Aidan's arm. I was satisfied that nothing burst into flames.

"I like your hair", Phoebe said a little too sweetly.

This was so wrong, sick and wrong. My mother was flirting with one of my best friends, who just happened to be 14 years old. That was wrong, disgusting even. A daughter should never be in competition wither her mother. Not in a million years, no matter the decade.

'Was that what this was? A competition?' I asked myself. I realized that it was. I had just recognized that the boiling angry feeling that had just formed in the pit of my stomach. I was jealous, jealous of my own mother. I had nothing to be jealous of. It wasn't as if he was my boyfriend or anything. But did I want him to be?

My mother led Aidan forcefully into the other room. It took all of my willpower not to transform into my demonic form and follow them. I was about to act on the impulse when Melinda came up behind me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"What's up?" she asked cheerfully. Obviously, she had forgotten about her teasing fun. I sat down and sighed. Melinda sat down next to me. This reminded me of our late night conversations in our time.

"Aidan", I said simply. Melinda understood, even better than I did at the time.

" I know you like it, and it's okay to admit it", Melinda said sincerely. I wouldn't admit it, simply because it wasn't true. I began to get defensive.

"I don't like him. Well, not like that. Well…he's nice and all, but not that nice. I mean, I don't want him to be my boyfriend", I said at a lightening speed. I was mumbling, and Melinda knew it.

"You're hopelessly in love with Aidan Pierce", Melinda said matter of factly. "The sooner you admit it, the easier it will be." I said nothing, thinking I had nothing to admit. Melinda walked away in a huff, clucking her tongue in maddening superiority. I hated when she did that.

Much to my dismay, my insistence that I didn't like Aidan was tested. Grams had returned, and had forced use time-travelers back to work. On one hand, I was grateful that Grams had forced Aidan away from my mother. That was just gross. On the other hand, I didn't want to get back to work.

The "work" we were doing was entirely pointless. Melinda was flipping through the Book of Shadows, trying to appear as though she was doing something. Chris was pouring over complex maps and was pouring over complex maps and charts, looking impressive. Grams was making an unidentified potion, telling no one what she was doing.

Once again, I was paired with Aidan. We were in charge of composing a spell. I was doing my best not to make eye contact.

"What rhymes with time?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Lime, dime, rhyme, chime", I listed ticking them off on my fingers. He scribbled something on the piece of paper he had been using. He then crossed it out, and wrote something new.

"Okay, how does this sound?" he asked. The he began the first verse of the spell he had come up with. He chanted, "We travelers throughout time, we ask for help with our rhyme…"

I was silent, pretending to seriously ponder the question. I tried desperately to hold back the laughter that I knew would come. "It was…sucky", I said with the straightest face I could muster. I began giggling, which turned to chuckling, which eventually became hysterical laughter. Much to my surprise, Aidan was laughing as well.

"That's so mean", Aidan said while laughing. He punched me playfully, and we fell to the floor in a great laughing heap. This was how it usually was; two friends having a laugh together. I loved how it was minus all of the tension.

"It was a sucky suckfest", Aidan admitted when we had composed ourselves. I bit my lip to keep myself from bursting into laughter again. After a few deep breaths, I was pretty much calm.

"We should" – I began. I was cut off by the appearance of two burly demons. Before anyone could do anything, before the presence of the demons had really registered, before I could even scream, one demon grabbed me, and one grabbed Aidan, and we shimmered out.

We ended up in a dark dank cave. It was stereotypical underworld cave. There was nothing really special about it. The moment we entered the cave the demons left. Why would they leave us alone like this? It was so dark that I could barely see two feet in front of my face. I nearly tripped over Aidan. "I am get out of here", I said confidently.

I could shimmer now, so getting out of here would be a piece of cake. I concentrated, imagining myself disappearing, and reappearing out of the cave. I felt myself dissolving, and my invisible form floated through the air. The invisible form of myself approached the wall. I hit the hard stone wall, flying backwards. I reformed in mid air, and hit the ground with a loud thump.

"Damn", I said, brushing the dust off of my pants. " There must be some sort of magical force field."

"Damn is right!" Aidan yelled, kicking the cave wall for no apparent reason. Several small pebbles fell from the ceiling, and Aidan leapt out of the way.

'This was great, just great', I thought very sarcastically. The worst possible thing had happened. I was stuck in a dark cave with Aidan Pierce, and I was bound to make him nervous. This was going to be a long night…

**TBC…**

**Up next: Chapter 8: Teeth, Darkness, Fading…and All That Jazz**


	8. Teeth, Fire, Fading and all that jazz

**Chapter 8: Teeth, fading, fire…and all that jazz**

**A/N: I really love this chapter and I hope all those who read it love it too. Lots of cool and important stuff happen. I'm kind of 7 chapters ahead of myself, so this is sort of weird. This chapter is dedicated to those who reviewed last chapter; anime-obssesed:p , phoebe turner and JadeAlmasy, the reviewers for last chapter. Please read and review. Enjoy! **

Never, in 13 years of knowing him, had I realized just how annoying Aidan really was. Since the moment we had gotten stuck in this cave, he hadn't stopped complaining. It wasn't that bad really, perhaps a little cold, but whatever. Judging by the way Aidan was talking, he was being tortured alive in Siberia. He was such a wimp. An immature, juvenile wimp…who just happened to have nice eyes.

"I'm cold", he whined. I sighed and walked as far away from him as I could possibly be.

"You told me this, ten times", I reminded him. I really just wanted to get out of this cave, right now. I was begging to become claustrophobic. I paced, round and around. Aidan was doing nothing to help us out of here. He was mumbling to himself in the corner, and I was a nervous wreck.

Finally, I was fed up. "Do something please Aidan", I ranted. He looked up at me, looking just as angry with me as I was with him. He opened his mouth to reply with what I could only assume was a witty retort. I held up a hand to stop him. "Shhh", I whispered. I heard deep muttering, just outside the cave. The demons that had captured us were having some sort of meeting.

"The ritual's almost ready", a low voice whispered. "Soon we shall sacrifice the half breed." The voices moved farther away, and they became almost impossible to hear. For once, since the first time we had gotten into this wretched cave, Aidan was silent. The voices had left, but I knew I was the one to whom they had referred. I was frightened. In fact, I was more afraid than I had been in a long while. Sacrifice was not a good word.

I shivered, not from cold, but from fear. "Aidan", I whispered, "I'm scared." I felt really stupid to admit that to him, but I knew he wouldn't laugh. He would be kind, and he would try to make me feel better. No matter how annoying he was being at the moment that was just the type of person he was. Aidan was a truly good friend.

"We'll be fine, I promise", he said earnestly. It wasn't much, but strangely, it made me feel better. Truthfully, Aidan's promise meant nothing whatsoever. It still made me feel better that he was in my corner. We really would get through this. We could get through anything. I was about to say something…but just then…the ground began to shake.

It was an earthquake. I hated earthquakes because of the Woogyman. But wait, how could there be an earthquake in the underworld? We were already far underground. It was impossible. The demons must have done something. Occasionally, very powerful spells had some effect over the elements. The ritual of which they spoke must be complete.

A deep voice confirmed my worse suspicions. "The ritual is complete", it growled. That simple statement was enough to make my blood run cold. I wasn't just scared now; I was petrified. I felt all of the blood drain from my face. I must have been paler than a ghost. Having seen many ghosts in my life, which was saying something.

Aidan must have noticed my increased fear. He did what he usually did in crisis situations; make jokes. "This sure is a sucky suckfest, but you have to admit, we've been in suckier suckfests", he said laughing. That was so unfunny, that it ended up being funny. I smiled, despite my heightened state of nervousness.

"OW!" I yelled indignantly. I felt something slam into my front teeth. I realized what must have happened. Aidan had tried to kiss me, but in the dark, and because I was smiling, he had hit my teeth. I wasn't as angry as I thought I might be. Suddenly, the cave was filled with dazzling light, as a roaring fire sprung up around us. I could now see that Aidan's face was bright red. He looked like he would like nothing more than to crawl in a hole and die.

I don't know what made me do it. Perhaps I had gone temporarily insane. Maybe I did it because I thought the world was going to come to an end. In the firelight, Aidan had never looked so beautiful. I moved my head forward, as did Aidan, his cheeks slowly returning to their normal colour. The moment our lips met, I experience the most beautiful kind of magic there is.

Aidan ran his fingers through my hair and pulled me closer. Our passionate embrace lasted mere minutes but it felt to me like a lifetime. Kissing Aidan just felt so right. If we could, we would have made our first kiss last forever. I wrapped my arms around Aidan's waist, our lips still joined. The fire around us burned even more brightly. It was not a fire of fear, but one of beauty. The smoke rose in heart shaped puffs. The bright fire was just mesmerizing. It was truly magic.

"Patience?" a familiar voice asked from somewhere to my left. Aidan and I broke apart very reluctantly. We were both blushing. Standing in the cave in which we had been imprisoned was my older, extremely protective cousin Chris. Now we both looked as if we wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Chris was the worst person who could have walked in on that. For a first kiss, it was a pretty passionate one.

"Patience…Aidan…w…what?" Chris stammered. He seemed to have difficulty stringing to words together. Aidan and I blushed deeper and looked at each other. It would be much easier to think if the fire wasn't still roaring in the background. It was roaring more loudly now. Chris was rubbing his emerald green eyes in disbelief. There was the most awkward silence I had ever experienced.

"Chris, are you okay?" I asked softly. It wasn't like any version of him to be quiet. Aidan still hadn't said anything. He was looking at my older cousin in fear. I didn't blame him. Chris could be a little scary at times, especially when he was being over-protective. This was one of these times.

Chris was as white as a sheet. I was afraid he was going to pass out. "You", he said pointing at Aidan, "you kissed her". His eyes were wide, as if he couldn't even believe his own words.

I nearly burst out laughing. Chris was so stupid. "Um…ya…we kissed…so what?" I asked matter-of-factly. This really pushed Chris off the edge. He rushed to Aidan, and pushed him against the stone wall. Aidan was too stunned to move. Neither of us knew Chris to ever react like that. "Chris, stop!" I yelled. Chris acted as though I didn't exist. Unexpectedly, Aidan stood his ground.

"What seems to be the problem?" Aidan asked pleasantly. I was utterly shocked. I had never seen Aidan this calm cool and collected. That boy was full of surprises.

Chris reddened slightly. "You know what the problem is!" He yelled. "You were kissing my baby cousin. Now, I know she's growing up, and personally, I had a girlfriend at her age. The point is, you have a certain responsibility now. What you say or do will affect Patience's happiness. If you hurt her, I will kill you."

Chris stopped, apparently finished. Oh my god, he was so embarrassing. He was only my cousin; he wasn't aloud to be that protective. It was just a kiss, one measly little kiss. It wasn't like we were going steady or anything. He needed to lighten up. I was about to throw a snappy retort Chris' way, but Aidan beat me to it. It was one surprise after another with him.

"I'd never hurt her, and if you're not careful, you're going to embarrass her to death", he said calmly. I blushed more furiously. Chris opened his mouth, and then closed it again. He didn't know what to say; another first. He didn't have a chance to reply, for there was a loud blast just outside the cave. In the heat of the moment, I had actually forgotten that we were being held prisoner by unknown demons. Funny how kissing can do that to you.

With Aidan and Chris, it was all back to business. They rushed out of the cave in tandem, first looking left and than right. There were many more demons than I had originally believed. There were about 25 of them, all standing around a stone cauldron filled with an unknown liquid. Chris flicked his wrists, and one of the demons flew through the air and hit the wall. That's when the battle began.

The demons were formidable opponents. I kicked boxed three at once, dodging every fire ball they threw at me. I could have used my newly discovered demonic powers, but that thought frightened me. I didn't want to feel that evil ever again. I was holding my own against the demons, but I wasn't making much leeway. To my left, Chris was telekinetically throwing demons around. To my right, Aidan was incinerating them at a frantic pace. The more we vanquished, the more there seemed to be.

I was doing well against the demons…but I couldn't handle all of them at once. My concentration was on the three demons directly attacking me. I didn't notice the demon creeping up behind me with a fireball, but Chris did. "Patience!" Chris called out in warning. I turned around in time to see the demon, and duck as it threw a fireball. The momentary lapse in attention was a big mistake on Chris' part.

The demon he was currently fighting took advantage of his distraction as only demons do. When Chris' back was turned, the demon threw a fireball at his back. Unfortunately, it had perfect aim. Chris flew forward, his face registered his surprise. No…this couldn't be happening…not again. Chris didn't die…at least I think he didn't. Instead he disappeared; faded into nothingness.

I felt raw surging anger, transforming me faster than before. Those demons would pay. I let loose a wall of fire that rushed towards the demons. In a matter of moments, it reduced them to nothing more that piles of ash. They were gone. It was over. I reverted to my human form almost instantly. Tears stung my chocolate brown eyes. Chris was gone, and there really was nothing I could do about it.

"That version of Chris isn't the one you know. He was brought here for a purpose, because of a spell, and he must have fulfilled his purpose. The Chris you know is alive and well in the future; I promise", he said comfortingly. That made me feel a lot better. I was able to wipe my tears, and manage a small smile. I loved how much Aidan's words made me feel better. I pulled him close and kissed him passionately on the lips.

To Aidan's credit, nothing burst into flames. A slight blushed appeared on both of our cheeks. However, when we broke apart, neither of us could look happier. Neither of us knew what to say. We may have become more comfortable around each other, but it was still pretty awkward. Finally, Aidan realized we were still in a dark cave. "How are we going to get home?" he asked.

"I can shimmer us both, but you need to hold me", I replied. Hesitantly, he put his arms around my waist. I was about to shimmer out when I involuntarily imagined Grams' or Melinda's reaction if they saw us kissing. As we began to shimmer off, I told Aidan something very important.

Matter-of-factly, I said, "Let us never speak of this again."

**TBC…**


	9. Saving Prue From Herself

**Chapter 9: Saving Prue from Herself**

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**A/N: Thank you to all those who reviewed. You made my day! Carmen! There, i mentioned you again, just for the sake of it. This chapter has some slightly maturer content...so I warned you. This would be rated T to M if it was rated individually. I own nothing, especially charmed. Enjoy! I used the song Don't Tell Me by Avril Lavigne. **

We arrived back at the manor with no real problems. Nothing especially spectacular happened. We shimmered back to the manor, and Grams was there to meet us. She fused over the both of us. She pulled us both into rib cracking hugs. Her eyes filled with tears as she checked Aidan and I over for injuries. When she was satisfied that we were fine, she didn't even bother us about the work we were supposed to be doing.

Don't get me wrong, Grams wasn't slacking off or anything. She got back to work, and to my surprise, so did Aidan. He hadn't spoken to me since our second kiss, nor had he even looked at me. I thought we had made a breakthrough! But no…Aidan was being his same old immature self. I tried to catch his eye, but he was determined to avoid my gaze. Fine. If he was going to be that way, so would I.

Aidan was staying in the attic, so the only way to go to avoid him was down. I didn't want to go to the main level. That was where the younger version of my mother was, and I didn't really feel like having a run-in with her. So I stayed on the level directly bellow the attic, in the hallway. I wasn't sure exactly where to go, for I didn't really have a room of my own. I vaguely considered going to Grams' sowing room, when someone rushed up the stairs, nearly knocking me over.

I was expecting to see either Piper or Phoebe. I was surprised that it was Prue. She was running, her raven hair floating behind her. She ran into the nearest room, slamming the door. I was shocked to see tears flowing freely down her pale cheeks. She was away at college, and she rarely visited. What could be so wrong, that she had visited the home she so desperately tried to avoid?

I didn't know whether I should knock. That seemed a bit rude to me. Prue did seem really sad, but she barely knew me. Before I decided what to do, I heard loud music from the room. I heard loud music and crying. The music couldn't drown out the crying. I wondered for the umpteenth time, what could have happened?

_Did you think that I was gonna give it up to you, this time?  
Did you think that it was somethin I was gonna do and cry?  
Don't try to tell me what to do,  
Dont try to tell me what to say,  
You're better off that way _

Don't think that your charm and the fact that your arm is now around my neck  
Will get you in my pants I'll have to kick your ass and make you never forget  
I'm gonna ask you to stop, thought I liked you a lot, but I'm really upset  
Get out of my head get off of my bed yeah thats what I said  
Did I not tell you that I'm not like that girl, the one who, throws it all away.

Hmmm…interesting choice of song. I decided to go for it. I knocked on the door three times in rapid succession. There was no answer. I wasn't even sure she knew I exsisted. I found that I didn't care. Prue was family, and she needed help. I opened the door without an invitation.

She was lying on her back on the bed in the center of the room. The room was in darkness, and she was staring at the phosphorescent stars glued to the ceiling. "Prue?" I asked softly. I received no answer. She was so lost in thought. "_When in Rome", _I thought. I lay down next to my future aunt. She still made no acknowledgement of my presence. I said nothing, knowing that she wouldn't respond to me. She was a lot like me in that way.

"I loved him", Prue said suddenly. She chocked out a few more strangled sobs. Where had that come from? But at the same time, I understood. There were some things that you just couldn't share with those closest to you. It was much easier to share it with a stranger. A stranger couldn't through anything back at you later on. I let Prue continue her story. As she told me what had happened, it was like I was seeing it before my eyes.

"I've been with him for a year", Prue said.

I saw Prue holding hands with a handsome young man. They were at a school dance. They were talking in a restaurant. They were dancing. They were laughing. They were kissing. I realized I was seeing scenes from their relationship. He was her first love. She believed they would be together forever.

"He wanted to go all the way, but I wasn't ready for that", said Prue sadly.

Prue and the young man were in an unknown room. The room was obviously a boy's room. At first Prue looked happy. She was holding the boy's hand and they were talking quietly. They began to kiss passionately. Still, Prue looked in control. His hand moves from her neck, to Prue's inner thigh. Prue pulled away so quickly that the boy started.

"He tried touching me, but I said I didn't want that. He said he didn't care what I wanted", Prue said sobbing.

I saw Prue push the boy away and get off the bed. The boy got up too. He tried to kiss her again. He looked a little drunk. Prue backed away so far that she hit the wall. The boy couldn't take no for an answer. He tugged at Prue's skirt, obviously trying to pull it off. My future aunt looked paralyzed, tears streaming down her face. He was pinning her to the wall.

After a few moments' silence she said through sobs , "He went too far, so I hit him. Than I tried to run."

The boy was pressing himself against Prue. She looked at him furiously. She punched him in the face. It was hard enough to cause a large purple bruise on his nose. His nose began to bleed. Prue was slowly inching towards the door. She appeared terrified. The boy grabbed her around the throat. She pawed at his large hands. She was gasping for breath. She still had the presence of mind to bite down hard on his hand.

"He tried to choke me, so I bit him", Prue said, "I made it out of the door, and I came here."

The boy gasped and released her in shock. Taking advantage of the boy's distraction, Prue ran. She bolted for the door, not once looking back. She made it out of the room, and out the front door. The boy didn't follow her.

I looked over at the present Prue. She was curled up on the bed sobbing. I didn't know what to do or what to say. I knew that I needed to say something. Prue needed my help. What that boy has done to her was unthinkable. She didn't know much about boys, but she knew that what that boy had done was unforgivable.

Prue got up, and pulled me into a warm embrace. She held me so tightly, as if she was afraid to let me go. When she finally let go, she got up from the bed, and walked over to a dresser. She pulled out a large photo of a bridge. I was beautifully shot, the sun light pouring through the beams.

"I took this a few months ago, when Grams wouldn't let me go away to college. I had just had a car accident, and Phoebe was badly hurt. Everything was going wrong, and I thought it was my fault. I was going to jump off this bridge. I just couldn't do that to myself. That's why I took this picture. I wanted to remind myself of the dark place I was, and hope that I would never be there again", said Prue softly, wiping tears from her eyes.

How hard it must have been for her. I had never known that this had happened. Mom and Aunt Piper never told me what a difficult time aunt Prue had. I guess it's possible that they didn't know. How could they not know that there own sister was hurting this much? They loved her, I know they did. If something like this happened to my sister Prue, I knew I would be the first to know.

Aunt Prue looked so sad…so alone. She needed someone to talk to, and I would be that person. "None of this was your fault A…Prue", I said emphatically. Thankfully I caught my little slip-up. Through thick tears, Prue shook her head.

"It is all my fault", she said firmly, "everything." I shook my head emphatically. The Prue I learned by heart from stories would never say that.

"Listen to me carefully", I said. I looked deep into her ice blue eyes, filled with tears. "There is no way that any of this is your fault. That boy is the bad guy. He took advantage of you. You did exactly what you were supposed to do. And that car accident, it was exactly what it sounds like; an accident. I promise you that no one will blame you; only help you."

She was silent. Her light eyes were wide. Her pale skin was paler than usual. It was almost translucent. She looked very doubtful. I really was very sincere. I meant what I said, and I really wanted to help her. Since I had gotten to the past, it had been nothing but one ordeal after another. This was my chance to help people. The whole magical destiny thing had never been a burden to me like it had to my aunt Piper. I really loved to help people.

Slowly, very uncertainly, she nodded. I had gotten through to her. I looked at her thin scared face, reflected in my dark brown eyes. It seemed hard to believe this fragile, frightened girl would become the super witch from my mother's stories.

"Thank you", Prue whispered, "I don't even know your name, but you've helped me more than you know."

"It's Patience", I said smiling. She moved to hug me, but then thought better of it. She held out her slender arm, and I took her hand. When we shook hands, my gaze flickered to her wrists. In the pale light of the room, I could see thin scars their, white and translucent. There were three, the length of her wrists. In a flash of insight, I understood exactly how I had helped her.

I realized what she would have done if I hadn't burst into this room uninvited. The thought sent shivers down my spine. Somehow, I knew that I was meant to help her. If I hadn't been stuck in the past, the future would change, and the Charmed Ones would have never existed. Destiny was strange that way. I also somehow knew that there was one more thing I needed to do.

"I know I helped you, so you need to do one more thing for me", I said sincerely. She looked at me, listening intently.

"What is it?" Prue said softly. I only detected a small hint of fear in her voice.

"I need you to tell your grandmother everything you've told me", I said earnestly. She looked a little doubtful. Since I wasn't quite sure why, I did the thing I didn't do very often. I read her mind.

_What will telling Grams help? She's going to freak. She's going to be mad at me. If I tell Grams, all hell will break lose, _she thought. Her thoughts were all I needed to hear to understand.

"Your Grams loves you", I said firmly. It was important that she understood. She was more loved then she ever knew. "She would never be angry with you for something like this. She will do everything in her power to help you", I said. I knew that these words were true. She didn't look fully convinced, but she took a deep breath, and got up from the bed.

We heard heavy footsteps in the hallway. We both recognized them as Grams' footsteps. Prue gulped, and pushed open the door. I stayed on the bed and I watched her. She walked slowly up to the elderly woman and tapped her on the shoulder. Grams turned around to look at her eldest granddaughter. The formidable woman's face registered slight surprise. I knew she hadn't seen that granddaughter in months.

"Grams, I need to talk to you", she said softly. I watched with a smile as Prue led her grandmother down the hall, talking quietly with her. I felt the satisfaction one could feel after they had truly helped somebody. I sat down on the feathery bed, feeling at peace and truly content.

I had no way of knowing what was happening in my time. I could never have guessed that new memories were forming in my mother's mind. Right now, I had been thinking and worrying about my aunt Prue. I didn't know that it was my sister Prue that I should have been worrying about…

_**TBC…**_


	10. The One Unnoticed

**Chapter 10: The One Unoticed**

**A/N: Finally, I finished this. This chapter took some twists that even I didn't expect. I hope you like it, cause I'm quite proud of it. Thanks to those who reviewed, and I hope you do it again. I'm mentioning Carmen again, cause she's my most loyal reader, and the one i can talk about future plot ideas and wacky time travel. Enjoy!**

The rest of that day, I had a feeling that something was going to go wrong. I hated that feeling. I couldn't quit place it, but I knew something horrible would happen soon. That feeling took over my conciousness, and I could think of nothing else. Aidan kept trying to talk to me. I had no time for him.

"Tell me what was wrong", Aidan pleaded. I shook my head. It was difficult to articulate exactly how I felt. He was persistant, but I wouldn't give him an inch. So eventually, he gave up. Curiously, neither Grams, nor young Phoebe and Piper had bothered me much. Since Prue had gone back to college and her boyfriend had mysteriously dissappeared, things at the manor had returned mostly to normal.

I still couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Grams was still trying to make me and Aidan work on a way to get home. Their mindless chatter…the way they both avoided my eyes…it was maddening. I had finally gotten away from them by pretending I wasn't feeling well.

The only place to go from the attic was down. I got into the sitting room. I was happy to see that it was deserted. I planned to get comfortable. If I could only just sit, I could think of what on earth could be wrong. I suck down into the old sofa. I reached down into the pocket of my jeans. In my pocket there was something I hadn't noticed before.

Out of my pocket came a worn and faded picture. I didn't know I had it there. It was the whole family. Thirteen happy people were captured in the photograph, forever smiling. I squinted at my young self in the photo. I was about four. My father was still there, his hand resting on my shoulder. It was only a year before he changed.

In the picture, I was holding hands with Melinda. We had always been inseperable, almost from birth. Her blond hair was pulled into uneven pigtails. We bout had gaps where our front teeth once were. I looked from happy face to happy face.

Mom, dad, Prue, Aunt Piper, Uncle Leo, Wyatt, Chris, Melinda, Aunt Paige, Uncle Kyle, Patty, Jackie…everyone was there. I realized with a jolt that this was the last picture I had of all of us as a family. I ran my finger over young Melinda's face. With another jolt, I was thrown into a premonition.

There was Melinda, the present day one, sitting on top of the Golden Gate Bridge. When she looked up, I saw that she was crying. Hot tears streamed down her face. She looked so small and all alone on that huge bridge.

As quickly as it began, the premonition ended. I felt wave after wave of hot burning guilt. I realized what we had done; what we all had done.

In my obssesion over Aidan, I had ignored my own cousin. It had been hours since I had last seen her. Not one single person had noticed that Melinda was gone. I could never forgive myself. How could I have been so cruel?

But..that wasn't right. I tried to think of the last time I had seen Melinda. My memory was hazy, although I was almost sure I had seen her this morning. It was as if every time I tried to sense Melinda, picture her in my mind, something was blocking me.

There had to be some sort of spell at work. It was a demon, it had to be. What kind of demon would do something like his to me and Melinda? The answer hit me with the force of a speeding train. There was only one demon who could have done this. My father is the only one who could have done this.

Under normal circumstances, I would have told Grams where I was going. I might have at least left a note or something. Then again, I could never be under normal circumstances while I was in the past. Once I had worked that out, I had no trouble just leaving. I pictured myself on Golden Gate Bridge in my mind, then shimmered out.

I reformed on a pillar that was now very familiar to me. It's where Wyatt and Chris went when they were upset. This appeared to be something she had gotten from her brothers. She probably sensed me, but she didn't turn. I sat down besid her, trying not to look down. Heights frightened me sometimes.

"Melinda?" I asked timidly, "Can we talk?" She looked at me with the deepest look of loathing. I had never seen a look like that on her face. She was always the calm, level headed one. I was the impulsive one who was quick to anger.

"I have nothing to talk about with you **_Patience_**", she said vehemently. Her words cut through me like a knife. She spat my name out with such disgust. It was almost as though my name was poison to her. Had I really hurt her that badly?

With anyone other than family, I might have just left right then. Especially for Melinda, I would stay. My mother once told me that family means everything. She was absolutely write. "Fine, you don't have to talk, but you have to listen", I said softly.

" I'm really sorry. I don't know what has come over me. I love you Melinda. You mean everything to me. You're my best friend. Please don't be mad at me", I said in a rush. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. She wiped them away and managed a small smile.

"I'm not mad at you", she whispered, " I just felt a little left out. I'm really happy you and Aidan got together. I just felt like you were forgetting about me." She turned her back from me and paced the length of the pillar.

" I would **never **forget about you", I said emphatically. That was completely the truth. I knew I hadn't forgotten about her. That still didn't mean that someone or something didn't make me forget. "Melinda, I didn't forget about you. But it felt so strange when I was thinking about you…all fuzzy. I think there might be magic at work." Melinda looked up at me, a strange expression behind her pale blue eyes.

"Well…I did block you from sensing me…but I couldn't ever change your memories", said Melinda. We sat down next to each other, and thought in silence for a few moments.

" I think it was my dad", I said quietly. Melinda stared at me, wide eyed. Then she pulled me into a rib cracking hug. That was all I needed to know that Melinda had my back. I took the worn and faded photo from my pocket. I showed it to her, and she began tearing up again. She ran her fingers on the happy faces.

"I miss them", she said finally. I looked at the photo again.

"So do I", I admitted. I especially missed my sister Prue. As much as we fought, I still loved her with all my heart. I realized that this was the longest I had gone without seeing her. "Remember that time we accidently made Prue invisible?" I asked. Melinda nodded, a wide smile coming to her face, letting me know that she remebered.

It was a very rainy day. We really wanted to go outside, but we couldn't. Melinda and I were seven years old, and we were bored. At that age, we were also very fidgety. My mother had finally allowed Prue to baby-sit. Prue was trying to be the model baby sitter, to prove to mom that she was old enough to baby sit. For the first hour, she played games with us, and did what we wanted to do.

She soon got tired of that, and was trying to stay as far away from Melinda and I as she could. We were in my room, not knowing what to do. Our discarded barbies lie around us. We had intended to play, but got frustrated when my Barbie Lisa and Melinda's Barbie Coco, refused to cooperated. We were two bored little girls, cooped up together in a room. Strangely, it was Melinda who thought of our brilliant idea.

"Let's do a spell!" she had exclaimed, her eyes shinning like they did when she was excited. I was intrigued, but for once in my life, I was apprehensive.

"We could make a spell to make Prue go away!" she had shrieked excitedly. That intrigued me. I was at the age where I didn't like anything about my sister.

"Okay", I had said. That was when I became truly excited. This was going to be cool. "You start", I had said to Melinda. My cousin was all too ready.

" Prue is being mean today, so please make her go away", Melinda chanted. She was so good at rhyming from a very young age. Then she had stopped, to let me have a turn.

I continued, " Prue keeps being sad, so make her go away or I'll be sad". It wasn't a great time. I know that now. With witches though, even the stupidest of rhyme might work. We didn't know that at the age of seven. There was a loud bang and a scream from bellow us. We knew it had worked.

We went downstairs, and Prue was no where to be seen. Then we heard her. She was calling to us. It didn't take us long to realize that she was invisible. Melinda and I had burst into a fit of giggles. "It worked!" we had shrieked simultaneously. Prue had been very angry with us. Only we could make her visible again.

After that, my memory is a swirl of pranks and jokes at Prue's expense. When my mom got home, she was angrier than I had ever seen her. My fun was ruined after that. She gave me a talking to, the likes of which I had never experienced. Never, at least purposely, did I do something like that again. It wasn't so much the fact that my mother was mad at me. It was that she had been disapointed in me.

I had learned a lot that day. I had a lot of fun, at first. Then I learned a life lesson. When I think of a happy memory with both my sister and Melinda in it, for some reason, that's always the day that I think of. "That was a fun day, wasn't it?" Melinda said, snapping me out of my reverie.

"It was", I said distractedly. I was still very worried. My father had some sort of master plan. I just knew it. I had no idea what it was, but that wasn't the point. Everything was always just so complicated. We had been here for over a week, but it seemed like months.There was so much going on; my new feelings for Aidan, the fact that I was in the past, this strange threat from my father. It was all so overwhelming sometimes.

"I miss them; all of them", Melinda said suddenly. I looked up at her. I had snapped out of my daze.

"So do I", I admitted, tearing up. It was at that moment that I realized just how much. Suddenly I really wanted to go home. I wanted a hug from my mother, I wanted to vanquish a demon with my cousins. Heck, I even wanted my sister to yell at me. "Let's get back to the manor", I said.

Melinda hesitated. I could tell she was still a little angry with me. She was uncertain if she would go back without a fight. " I promise that I won't ignore you. Please can we go?" I asked pleadingly. I locked eyes with her, and could tell at once that her trust of me was completely regained.

"Okay", Melinda said finally, "let's go." She dissapeared in a swirl of blue-white lights. I shimmered away right behind her.

We reappeared in the front foyer of the attic. Aidan was waiting for us. I cast my senses until I knew that Grams was in the attic, and Piper and Phoebe were at school. Melinda cast me an awkward look. I didn't need to be telepathic to know that she was worried that I would forget her again.

I looked at her and said sincerely, "I promise I won't forget you. I just need to talk to Aidan quickly. I'll be right back."

She nodded as if giving me permision to go. I led Aidan into the kitchen, so we could talk. He looked as though he didn't know where to start. "So…where'd you go?" he asked awkwardly. With my periferal vision, I saw a small fire start beneath my feet. I stomped it out before it could get out of hand.

"Melinda ran away. We have been ignoring her a bit lately. I went to talk her into coming back. Oh ya…my dad, who you know is a demon, has some sort of master plan about how kill us", I said. Aidan stared at me open mouthed.

"Oh", he replied lamely. I could sense his insecurity from a mile away.

"I really like you Aidan, for real", I said earnestly, "you're the best guy I've ever met, and I would never do anything to hurt you." I could tell I had convinced him.

"Thanks", he said blushing. A fire in the exact same place as the first appeared, but I quickly stomped it out. He said, " You're a really great girl too…the best. You're so kind, and smart and pretty. I'm really lucky to have met you. I really like you too. I don't just like you, I **_like _**you…"

Aidan was rambling now. He sounded a little crazy when he was babbling. I don't know what possessed me to say it, but I did. "Shut up and kiss me", I said boldly. I expected Aidan to laugh, or even be a little scared. He didn't do anything of the sort.

_**The year 2026…**_

"I'm going!" Prue Halliwell shouted her mother. She was in the attic of their old Victorian Manor. She was tired of waiting. Prue knew that the time for action was now. She was going to find her sister.

"Please Prue", said Phoebe Halliwell, " I don't want to lose you to." Phoebe was devistated. Her youngest daughter and her niece had been gone for just over a week now. She knew where they were, but there was nothing they could do to get her back. Nothing they tried worked.

"You can't stop me", Prue said defiantly. She strode towards a portal on the attic wall. I was glowing a blinding white, ready to consume her. Prue strode determinately towards the portal. Phoebe grabbed her daughters arm in an effort to stop her. Prue shook her off.

"Please", say Phoebe, her voice full of desperation. Prue turned to her mother. Even when Cole had turned, Prue had never seen her mother so sad, or so defeated.

"I have to go", Prue said appolegetically. She really felt bad for leaving her mother like this. " I promise I'll save her", she said. Her mother nodded. It was a determined, yet resigned nod. Phoebe knew she had to let her oldest daughter go to get back the youngest. "It's only 24 hours", Prue reminded her.

Prue walked towards the portal without looking back. She didn't hesitate as she stepped thorough the portal. Phoebe didn't move as the magical portal swallowed up her daughter and dissapeared. She simply cried.

_**Back in 1987…**_

Aidan took a few steps towards me, and held my hands. He looked into my eyes, and never had he ever looked more beautiful. He grabbed my head between my hands, and without preamble, he kissed me passionately. It was as magical as the first time. I never wanted it to stop.

" Patience!" yelled a very familiar voice from behind me. I spun around to see my oldest sister Prue. She had a strange look on her face. It was in between fury and shock. I turned a deep shade of crimson. A plant next to Aidan burst into flame, but I ignored it.

I opened my mouth, and then rapidly closed it. I didn't know what to say to her anymore. I wanted nothing more than to melt into the ground and dissapear. At that moment, I would have given anything to be invisible…

_**TBC…**_


	11. Shattered Glass

**Chapter 11: Shattered Glass**

**A/N: This update took so long, only because I got very few reviews. I want to thank Carmen for putting up with the frequency that I talk about this, and being so nice! In french class, I've written 3 pages into chapter 13, and nothing's happened! Also, a special thanks to my most loyal reviewer who isn't Carmen: JadeAlmasy... (I hope i spelled that right...too lazy to check) Anyways, Please read and review, and I don't own Charmed. **

I stared open mouthed at my sister. She was furious at me. I could tell because I could feel it. Aidan was just standing there. He too was staring. Prue opened her mouth uncertainly to speak. I didn't let her. I didn't want to hear her right now. "How dare you be angry with me? I've done nothing wrong!" I yelled. I bit my lip. I sounded much bitterer than I had intended to.

"I was trying to save you! Besides, you shouldn't be kissing that…that boy!" she shouted right back. She spoke the last word as if it were poison.

Prue advanced towards Aidan, as if to hit him. I expected him to look frightened, but he stood his ground. That boy was full of surprises. "Don't talk to her like that. She isn't a baby. _Wow, _I thought, _he's actually defending me. _

I had little time to think about any of this. At that moment, Melinda came running into the room. Her eyes flicked from me, to Aidan, to Prue. I sensed an emotion from her that I rarely sensed; confusion. Usually Melinda knew exactly what was going on. She looked at me and said, "Huh?"

I was going to explain, really I was. My sister Prudence cut me off. "I came here to come get you. Everyone is really worried. This spell brings me here for 24 hours. The moment I got here I saw **_them _**kissing." She pointed to Aidan and I. To Aidan's credit, nothing burst into flames.

"Oh" said Melinda emotionlessly, "Well, that's not really a big deal." Again Melinda was trying to be a peace maker. That was just one of the many things I loved about her.

"Not a big DEAL", Prue said furiously, "OF COURSE it's a big deal!" I hated when she yelled like that. Prue wasn't very good with anger.

My sister, my cousin, and my new boyfriend continued to yell at each other. It was so loud. They all seem to have forgotten that I was there. Back and forth they went. Not once did they ask me what I thought. Their voices bore into my brain like a drill. After a while their words got jumbled up in my mind. This was driving me insane.

So loud…not stopping. I couldn't hear my own thoughts any more. I wanted it to stop. I needed it to stop. I felt a surge of anger towards those who had created my insanity. I flash of red passed before my eyes. "SHUT UP!" I yelled.

They were all immediately silent. My eyes fell on Prue. Her eyes were wide, and she was looking at me in horror. She actually looked frightened of me. I didn't understand it. "You!" she said pointing at me. She looked as if she had seen a ghost, or even a demon. I took a cautious step towards her, but she backed away.

"For a moment…you changed…into your demonic form", Melinda said, and apologetic note in her voice. That's what the red flash had been. I was going to speak to Prue, to explain, but then I hear them again. The voices.

Prue, Melinda and Aidan weren't talking. They weren't real people I was hearing. They whispered to me. They said horrible evil things. They whispered in my ear and called to me. I pulled my knees to my chest and rocked back and forward. "Go away", I whispered, "please stop."

Melinda walked to me cautiously. She held out a trembling hand and placed it on my shoulder. "Patience, what's wrong?" she asked nervously. She really was concerned about me.

"Please go away", I begged her, "I don't want to hurt you." It showed how much Melinda loved me, because she didn't move.

I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to do what I knew it was in my nature to do. "I'm sorry", I whispered. Without knowing where I was going, I shimmered out.

I reformed in cave I had never seen before. There were strange demons all around me. There were crystals around me. I knew I was trapped, so I didn't try to shimmer again. Then, a very familiar demon stepped out from the shadows.

My father walked towards the front of the crystal cage. He was smirking at me. He looked at me, in an almost curious way. I noticed that when he appeared all of the other demons had backed away. "I knew you were my daughter since you arrived in this time", he growled.

My insides froze. I tried not to show it. I didn't want to show him that I was afraid of him. He continued as if he had not stopped. "I was curious about you, I admit. How could I, the mighty Belthazor, ever have a child?" I didn't like where this was going.

"But when I met you, I knew I didn't need to have worried. You are a lot like me. You have the same conflict inside you. You have the same desires. There is one difference; you don't have the same power, but you have more. Your mother was nothing more than a pawn, I am sure."

I was still terrified of my father. That unfortunately would never change. However, I would never let anyone talk about my mother like that. He had gone too far. That's what found me my voice.

"Don't talk about my mother like that!" I yelled, "Her name is Phoebe, and she loved you. There was a time when you loved her too!" I felt slightly better after my vicious tirade.

My father laughed his classic evil laugh. It sent shivers down my spine. "More like me than I thought" he said menacingly. With that, he disappeared. I still heard his voice, although he wasn't there.

"By the way, I put a spell on you to reveal your inner nature." With that he was gone. The other demons surrounded me, grinning maliciously. I didn't take much notice to any of them. The voices began again. They were whispering loudly, trying to tempt me, telling me to do things. Now I knew what they were.

The voices were my hidden self. They were my inner desires. I knew that they were the demonic part of me that for my whole life I had been subconsciously trying to repress. Unknown desires flooded my consciousness. I wanted power, and I would do anything to get it. I thought of my enemies, and I wanted to hurt them. With sickening realization, I realized that I felt exactly like a demon

_**Back at the manor… **_

Prue sat on the sofa, her face in her hands. Of all the possible scenarios she had imagined before coming to the past, this was not one of them. Melinda was pacing, back and forth, in the kitchen. That was how she dealt with stress. Patience's friend, Aidan she thought his name was, had tried to comfort her, to explain, but she wouldn't hear any of it.

She just didn't understand. There was no way that her little sister, the sweet and innocent Patience, could be a demon. Sure, her father was a half-demon. Prue was sure that her mother had bound her sister's demonic powers. She had been 6 at the time, and one year old Patience had been throwing miniature fireballs when she was fussy. Her mother and Cole both decided to bind her demonic powers. That's why this couldn't be possible.

However, there was no getting around what she had seen. Patience had somehow become a demon. She looked almost as Cole had looked in his demonic form, only female. She looked over at the young boy that was Aidan. He was staring straight ahead, almost as though he wasn't there. She was still furious with him, but she had to ask him what had happened.

"Um…Aidan?" she asked awkwardly, "can I ask you a question?" He looked up at her, surprised.

"Sure", he said hesitantly. He seemed afraid that she might try and hit him again. Melinda had stopped her pacing to listen.

"What happened to Patience?" she asked.

Aidan took a deep breath, and began explaining. He spoke for nearly a quarter of an hour. He shared with Prue what Melinda and Patience told him had happened before he arrived. He then spoke of the day he arrived, how he had saved Patience from evil. When he had finished, Prue felt more warmly to him than she had ever done.

She hung her head. "I'm sorry…to both of you", Prue said in shame.

Melinda put a comforting hand on my shoulder. She remembered that I liked that. "I forgive you as long as we find a way to get Patience back."

_**In an unknown underworld cave…**_

My limbs elongated. I grew taller and more muscular. My skin became red with black markings. My fingers became claws and my teeth became fangs. The transformation all and all took less than a minute. The first time I had transformed, the demon body felt unnatural, like a costume. Now the demon body felt like my true body.

I was a demon now. I had no desires other than to hurt and to kill. The first had to be those who had forced me to embrace my humanity. My cousin, my sister, and my boyfriend would be the only ones who would stand in my way. My father needed me to lose all of my humanity. Melinda, Prue and Aidan were the only ones who were holding me back.

I tried to think of them, only briefly, but everything came up fuzzy. All I could think about was what my father wanted. He wanted me on his side, and he wanted the ones I loved dead. I had to do what Belthazor wanted. I smiled, revealing my fangs. Everything was clear to me now. I shimmered out.

I reappeared in the attic. That's where they were, frantically flipping through the book of shadows. They looked up at me. They didn't look afraid. Quite the contrary; they looked prepared. I saw Melinda first. She had a potion in her hands, and she prepared to throw it. I didn't know what the potion was for, but on instinct, I waved my arms. It flew through the air and shattered on the wall.

Without thinking, I formed a fireball, and threw it blindly. It hit Aidan and sent him flying. He hit the wall and fell to the floor. Melinda ran to him and checked for a pulse. "It's okay, he's alive", she yelled. Prue breathed a sigh of relief. I found that I was so much a demon that I didn't care at all.

Prue said, "I know you're in their Patience. This isn't you. You don't have to do this. I love you." Great, she was trying to reason with me. I was beyond reasoning now. I laughed out loud. It was not a normal laugh, but a cruel and demonic one.

"You're mistaken, dear Prudence", I said cruelly, "This is me, and I don't love you anymore." Prudence hid her reaction, but she paled slightly, and a single tear slid down her cheek.

"You are like your father! He always said you were like him!" Prue yelled wildly. I backed away as if I'd been slapped. I had to do what he said, but still, deep down inside, I never wanted to be like him.

"I'M NOT!" I raged. For the first time, Prue looked fearful. She was very much like her namesake in that she was very proud, and very brave. She has been afraid in her life, but never had she shown it so visibly. Only for an instant, I hesitated. Prue looked at me, her big brown eyes filled with terror, and a hint of pleading.

My resolve to do what my father wanted me to do had faltered a little for the first time. I roared a horrible demonic roar. I let out a blast of energy and Prue flew into the air and on top of Aidan and Melinda. I looked at her helpless unconscious form. I had to get out of here.

I shimmered away and ended up in what would one day be the room I shared with Melinda. Now it was occupied by Piper. I used to feel safe here. In this house, it was the one place I could go just to think. It looked almost the same as it did in my time. The only thing that showed the passage of time was the posters on the walls.

I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror that stood by the window. I saw myself for the demon that I was. I turned away. Along with all the hateful feelings that had ruled my mind, and cause me to become truly demonic, I felt a hint of disgust. I really did hate what I had become. Melinda, Aidan and Prue wanted to help me. They didn't realize that I was beyond help now.

I didn't want to look at myself, but I couldn't look away. For a second that contained eternity, I stared at the monster I had become. I let out a cry, like that of a wounded animal. I didn't want to look anymore. I threw a fireball directly at the antique mirror.

It shattered into a million pieces.

The pieces of glass flew every which way. Some of them hit my face, but I didn't feel them. Eventually, every piece of glass that was once the mirror settled to the floor like pieces of my broken life.

There was a time that someone could have saved me. It was too late now. The old Patience was much too far gone now. She wasn't coming back. I would never be the girl I once was. I was a real demon now…

**TBC…**


	12. Dead Man Walking

**Chapter 12: Dead Man Walking**

**A/N: Wow! This had taken me forever! I really like this chapter, so I hope you like it too. Please read, and then review. I really should study for French right now, but I don't study. To my favouritest reviewer, and craziness budy Carmen, you're so nice that you're a witch. **

I walked through one darkened alleyway after another. I wasn't sure exactly where I was going. There was a goal in my in my newly demonic mind. I now knew that demons were very goal oriented. The goal was planted in my head. It was not my own. I knew it, but I did not care. I had to kill, and I had to do it now.

What I was doing was searching for the perfect victim. It wasn't my demonic lust for blood that was driving me to kill. That lust was there, but I was driven by something much more powerful. I knew that to be truly demonic, which was now my goal, I had to murder a human being.

I spotted a very dirty man with a tangle of black hair. Judging by the fact that he was skulking in a dark alley in the dead of night, he was certainly far from innocent. This would be the type of man who wouldn't be missed. I had found my victim.

Silently, I crept behind him. I knew he would scream the moment he saw me. I had to stay unseen until the last possible moment, for this man's scream would attract witnesses. There was another reason I didn't want him to scream. Unlike other demons, I would take no pleasure in his screams.

I was nearly next to the man now. My fangs were bared, and my claws were out. My eyes glowed a luminescent yellow in the darkness. The man had not seen me, or he would have screamed by now. I was prepared to kill him. All that was left was to actually do it.

"We have to go now!" Aidan yelled. Patience had been gone for ten minutes, and the only ting they had accomplished was to argue. Prue hated it. She, like her sister, was an empath. All of this anger was giving her a migraine.

"Please", she begged, "can we just calm down?" Grams was having almost as hard a time as Prue. She had come down from the attic, alerted by the extreme noise. He was acting as a reluctant mediator between her future great grandchildren, and their friend.

Grams was having a lot of difficulty understanding what had happened. From what she had gathered from the children's' yelling, Patience had somehow become evil. Judging by the children's' expression, this wasn't that strange of an occurrence. She still had no idea where the girl claiming to be Patience's sister had come from.

Melinda was doing her best to stay out of the argument. Prue and Aidan were at each others' throats and Grams was nervously trying to mediate. None of them were doing anything to find Patience. She had already tried to sense her, as she was the only one who could. What worried her most was that she couldn't sense Patience anywhere. It was as if her cousin had vanished.

She did have an idea. Admittedly, the idea was a bit of a long shot, and she didn't really want to call him. He could sometimes sense things that she couldn't. She bit her lip. Calling him was the only way they could find Patience. There was no other way.

" Leo!" she yelled. The others turned to stare at her, surprised that she had spoken. Leo appeared almost instantly, utterly bewildered. Melinda said, "You have to try and sense Patience."

It was a mark of what a good whitelighter Leo was that he didn't ask any questions. He closed his eyes and concentrated. Moments later, he opened his eyes and frowned. Melinda knew that whatever it was, it was bad news. Leo couldn't tell her what it was, for at that moment, Piper busted through the door.

She looked at Grams, and Prue, at Aidan, and Melinda. Finally, her gaze rested on Leo. She smiled brightly and said, "Hi Leo!" If circumstances hadn't been so desperate, Melinda would have been disgusted. Her mother was an awkward 15 year old, and she was looking lovingly at her father, who looked 30, but in reality was about 65.

She didn't really have time to think of the grossness of it all. Piper was gazing lovingly at Leo, but it wouldn't be long until she realized that all of them were there. Sure enough, Piper asked, "What's with all the people?"

Grams looked around desperately for help before she answered. "I'll explain it to you later. I promise." It was the worst explanation in the world, but Piper seemed to believe her. Still, she didn't leave the room, which was what they needed.

"Piper, why don't you go into the other room? I'll come by and talk to you later", Leo said. Piper blushed at being addressed directly by Leo.

"Okay", she said smiling. She drifted out of the room, humming quietly to herself. It seemed to Melinda like her mother had a little crush. When Piper was gone, Melinda wasted little time asking the question she had been dying to ask.

"What happened to Patience?" Melinda asked nervously Leo looked grim.

"I can sense her very faintly, but it's not strong enough to tell where", Leo replied. "The only way that would happen was…well…if she became a demon."

The man stopped to sit down on the dirty ground. I was still right behind him, and he still had not noticed me. I was in the perfect position to strike, and I knew it. A single swipe, and the man would be dead. Any other demon would relish the perfect kill. I hesitated, hovering over the man. I had to kill him…why couldn't I kill him?

It was what I wanted…wasn't it? 'It was', I told myself over and over again. I needed to kill him to prove myself a demon. I wanted to prove myself. Logically, it would follow that I also wanted to kill the man. The why was it so hard for me to do so?

I realized that I didn't really want to kill him. It was more that I needed to kill him. If I didn't kill him soon, I would revert to a regular human. Humans felt pain, and they got hurt. I didn't want to be hurt anymore.

The man had fallen into a daze. His head was resting against a cardboard box. From thing air, I materialized an athame. I let the anger course through me as it had before. I raised the athame, poised to strike. Without thinking too much, I plunged the athame into his chest.

He gasped, and opened his eyes. He reached for the knife trying to take it out. It was too little, too late. I listened to his pained gasps for breath for a moment. Then there was silence. He was dead.

I backed away…horrified by what I had done. I had killed, so I was a real demon now. My horror was accompanied by another feeling: power. I was powerful now, and I liked it.

I didn't know what to do anymore. I hadn't really though about what would happen after I had kill someone and fulfilled my goal. It wasn't as if I had anywhere to go. I couldn't go home anymore. Using my newly developed demonic senses, I tried to find a place that was safe for me. When I found it, I shimmered out.

I reformed in a dark and silent mausoleum. I was drawn to a particular head stone without knowing why. All I knew was that I was safe there. It was as if this stone would protect me. I brushed the dust off the inscription. It said: Benjamin Coleridge Turner, 1860-1888. This was where my paternal grandfather was buried.

The dark alley with the dead man was silent. No one had walked passed. No one would walk past this alleyway for hours. It would be morning before anyone noticed the body covered by a sheet. Through the motionless silence, the sheet ruffled ever so softly.

Slowly, the body beneath the sheet pushed it off. The sheet fell to the floor, and a seemingly normal man got up with a knife sticking out of his chest. If he had been a normal man, he would have been dead. This was no normal man.

With a grimace, he pulled out the knife and threw it to the ground. He gingerly rubbed the wound in his chest. As if by magic, the wound sealed itself. Even the blood disappeared. He brushed himself off, completely uninjured.

"The plan is complete", the man said into the night. He was gone in a shimmer.

I was sitting with my back to my grandfather's headstone. Tears flowed freely down my red cheeks. I didn't know what was happening anymore. Demons weren't supposed to cry.

All I knew was that since I had killed that man, I felt horrible. When I had gotten to this place, I had desperately tried to return to my human form. No matter how hard I tried, it didn't work. I was stuck like this. I was stuck looking like a monster.

Fleetingly, I though of going back home. I wondered what they would think of me now. Surely they would never forgive what I had done. It would be wrong for them to forgive murderers. That's what I was now…a murderer. I was disgusted with myself.

I looked down at my hands. They weren't hands anymore, but vicious claws that could rip someone apart. I had blood on my hands, both literally and figuratively. I had crossed the line between good and evil.

I roared, in a mixture of anger, pain, and horror. The windows of the mausoleum shattered outwards. There was no going back now…


	13. Let's Do the Time Warp Again?

**Chapter 13: Let's Do the Time Warp (again?)**

**A/n: This has taken me so long! It's a fairly long chapter, and I think it's pretty good. This chapter is dedicated to Chel, who gave me the idea for the time warping. Time warp! doodoodoodoodoodoodoodoodoo. Also dedicated to Carmen, who was oh so patient and a great reviwer. Enjoy all!**

I sat with my back to my grandfather's grave. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to go home. However, I knew that was not possible. They could not accept me like this. I was a monster. They would never forgive me for killing a man. I had no where to go. Stuck in my demonic form, all I could do was cry.

In the manor, things weren't going any better. On the bright side, Aidan and Prue had stopped fighting. The problem was that they still weren't any closer to finding Patience. It was as if Patience was blocking them somehow. Prue was pacing, it was what she did best. Every once in a while, she'd glance at the door, as if hoping that Patience would somehow walk in.

Melinda was in the kitchen, mixing a potion. She wasn't sure what it did, if anything. It was just a way to deal with stress that she had picked up from her mother. She liked to keep her hands busy. Melinda wasn't even paying attention to what went in the pot. Aidan was sitting beside her, staring at the herbs he used. Aidan was quite, much quieter than normal. Come to think of it, he had been quiet since Patience left.

Well all of this was going on in the mausoleum and the manor, the demon known as Murdock shimmered into an underground cave. His master was waiting for him. Murdock was excited to tell his master what he had done. He lived to please his master. "Congratulations Murdock", Belthazor said. Making his master pleased made Murdock pleased.

"However", Belthazor growled. Murdock cringed. He didn't like the sound of that however. His master sounded angry with him. "It wasn't enough!" screamed Belthazor. Belthazor began chanting in an arcane language. For now, Murdock was safe. Patience however, was not.

I got up from the cold ground of the mausoleum. I couldn't stand being here anymore. It brought back memories of my early childhood, which felt worlds away. The only place I could think of going was the manor. Whatever their reactions to me looking like this, I had to face them. I shimmered out to the only place I had ever felt safe.

I could barely look at their shocked faces when I appeared in the drawing room of the manor. I first looked at Prue. She was staring at me open mouthed. "Patience?" she asked, her voice trembling. Slowly, I nodded. I couldn't take the look on her face. Instead, I decided to look at Melinda.

Her reaction was better than that of my elder sister that was sure. I was glad that I didn't see any fear in her eyes. She looked a little nervous, but that was to be expected. She managed to smile at me and say, "Great to have you back." I could only nod. I didn't seem to be able to speak to them. I didn't want to tell them what I had done.

Finally, I looked at Aidan. His reaction was the one I was most afraid of. I loved him as much as I ever did. I didn't want him to see me looking like…well…a monster. However, when I looked at him, he looked exactly as he always did. I had nearly forgotten how handsome he is. What I loved most was his smile. Despite it all, he was still smiling. I smiled back at him uncertainly, exposing my fangs.

What he said next made my heart melt. "I still love you, and you're still beautiful", Aidan said. I looked into his beautiful blue-gray eyes. I could tell just how sincere he was. It wasn't just because of my powers as an empath. I felt his love for me enter my heart, and melt away the small edge of anger that had been there.

My limbs were shrinking, my teeth become smooth, my claws turned back to fingers. In no more than a minute, I had turned back into my human self. Once again, Aidan had saved me. I forgot that there were other people in the room. Or maybe, I didn't care. The only thing I saw was him.

It was as if everything was moving in slow motion. I had lost control of my own body, but only in a good way. The only thing I concentrated on was getting to him. I reached him, and he took my hands in his. Just that simple gesture was the most romantic thing ever. I forgot about our time spent apart, I forgot about our desperate situation. Aidan was all that filled my mind.

I took his face in my hands, and pulled him closer. Our lips met, and it was the most magical thing I had ever experienced. It was even more magical then the first time. This kiss lasted much longer than it had done before. When we finally broke apart the fact that there were other people in the room came rushing back. My cheeks burned. I knew Aidan was embarrassed too, because of the small fire that started beside me. I quickly stamped it out.

Prue was gaping at me, gaping even more then when I was a demon. She opened her mouth, and then quickly closed it again. "Okay, I've almost dealt with the fact that you're growing up and might have feelings for boys, but that was just TOO much!" Prue yelled. If possible, I turned ever redder.

Reluctantly, I looked at Melinda for her reaction. She didn't say anything, and she was keeping a determined tight lipped smile. I knew she was far from happy. With Melinda I could always tell how she felt. I could use my empathic powers on her without even thinking about it. She felt very jealous. Not that I blamed her. Since we had gotten to the past I had been neglecting her a bit.

"Melinda, I…" I began. Suddenly, everything in the room looked as if it was melting. I felt very dizzy. The room turned into a mixture of colours that bled into one another. This was really creepy. I looked at Melinda, who was beside me. She wore the same expression of confusion and disorientation, that I'm sure I had.

Then everything was black.

The first thing I saw was a bright light. 'Great', I thought, 'now I'm dead.' It took me a moment to realize that in fact, I wasn't dead. I was lying in what felt like mud, and it felt like someone had just punched me in the face. This is definitely not what it felt like to be dead. Slowly, I got up, and brushed off my jeans. I looked around, and I gasped. Somehow, I had landed in the middle of a tropical forest.

Next to me, Melinda had gotten up, and she too was looking around in awe. Apparently, Aidan and Prue were not brought here with us, because they were no where to be seen. It was very hot wherever we were. "What did you do?" I asked Melinda accusatorily.

"I didn't do this", Melinda said defensively, "This is more like something you would do." She had a point there. Melinda stood on tip toe, and looked around. Already, she was taking charge. There was a loud thump, and the earth beneath us shook. My eyes scanned the trees, looking for the source of the noise. Melinda looked in the opposite direction as me.

Melinda screamed loudly. I turned to look at what she was looking at. I could barely believe my eyes. Standing above the trees was a gigantic tyrannosaurus rex. It let out an ear splitting roar that made my hair stand on end. This could not be happening. Where…or more precisely…when…the hell were we?

Melinda and I shared a look. We were so close, that sometimes we could communicate without words (or thoughts). All I knew was that when I looked at Melinda, her message was perfectly clear. After all, her message was the same as mine. We both knew that we needed to run.

In tandem, Melinda and I sprinted off into the forest. We paid no attention to where we were going. Our feet pounded against the dirt automatically. Melinda ran much faster than me, so she was slightly ahead of me. "You should try and orb and I'll try and shimmer", I yelled above the rushing wind.

I tried, and I'm sure Melinda did too. Nothing happened. For whatever reason, our powers didn't work in this prehistoric time. The only thing we could do was to run. I ran as fast as I could, but my legs were getting tired. I wasn't watching where I was going, so I tripped over a root embedded in the ground.

"Melinda!" I cried, as I fell to the ground. She looked over her shoulder to where the t-rex was. I wasn't really surprised that it was following us. Melinda put out her hand to help me up. As her hands touched mine, the jungle around us appeared to be melting The same thing that had happened in the manor was happening here. As the colours of this place began to swirl, everything went black once again.

When I opened my eyes again, Melinda and I were in an empty field. I could see trees just off to our right. I heard the distant sound of horses, and people. Right beside me, Melinda was rubbing her eyes, and looking around. I could hear fierce angry yelling in the distance. It sounded like hundreds of people, chanting in unison. I felt a bit nervous. I could tell that Melinda did too. The last thing I wanted to do was come across an angry mob.

I strained my ears to hear what they were saying. It was a couple of moments before I could make anything out. They were shouting something that rhymed with twitch, but it wasn't the b word. They had to be coming for them. The question was, how could they have known?

"Are they saying what I think they're saying?" Melinda asked. She could hear it too. That wasn't surprising. At the edge of the trees I had noticed earlier, we could both make out a crowd of shouting people, coming straight for us.

"Kill the witches, kill the witches!"

They were closer now, and I could see torches and rifles in their hands. They looked dangerously murderous. Melinda and I were exactly the type of people they wanted to kill. The people were close enough now that we were able to see their close. Judging by the style, it had to be the late 1600s. In this time period, the life expectancy of your average witch was about a minute.

I didn't pause to think. There was no time for such unnecessary things such as thinking. I could sense Melinda's fear from a mile away. I didn't even need to be an empath to tell how she felt. She was chalk white, and she was shaking. I felt exactly as Melinda looked. I should have thought first, but I didn't. "Run", I said to Melinda.

My cousin didn't need to be told twice. She sprinted away from the angry mob, and I followed. We could hear their thunderous footfalls behind us. It was just our bad luck that they were following. I thought they were getting closer, but I didn't dare look back. This random time traveling was sure giving me a workout. We could hear them yelling as we reached the opposite side of the field, where there were also trees.

"They wear strange clothes! They run from us! They must be witches! Burn all witches!" Someone from the mob yelled.

I nearly hit myself, but I couldn't stop running. There wasn't a way to seem anymore guilty than to run. I pulled Melinda behind a tree, and motioned her to be quiet. We tried to be as quiet as we possibly could. I held in my breath to mask my heavy breathing. We thought they might pass us by.

Melinda held her nose. "I have to sneeze", she whispered urgently. I held my breath, as if this could stop Melinda from sneezing and revealing them. Melinda gave me an apologetic look. Then she sneezed, loud and clear. At the same time, she orbed on the spot. Her orbs lit up the entire clearing, so people miles away could see us.

"We've found the witches! We must kill them!" the angry mob yelled as one.

'_We're definitely dead now'. _I thought.

When they had grabbed us, and tied us to two wooden posts surrounded by dry wood, my thoughts of imminent doom were only intensified. One spark from those torches, and we were nothing but ashes. That of course, was the angry mob's intention. They were making it perfectly clear with their chants of "Burn the witch!"

I tried struggling against the ropes, but it was no use. More magic would surely make the situation worse, but what other choice did I have? I tried to shimmer, but it didn't work. I felt a brief tingling, but I moved nowhere. A quick glance around the clearing we were in showed that there were amulets tied around that would block any magic.

A man with black hair and a puffy black beard to match approached us. He was holding a flaming torch perilously close to the wood. The man seemed to be the leader of this crazy group. "This is all your fault", I said to Melinda. My cousin was tied similarly behind us. Despite the gravity of the situation, Melinda stuck her tongue out at me.

A moment before the fire touched the wood; the same strange blurring of the room began. Always at the perfect moment, they began to travel to a different time. If I forgot about all of the seriousness, all this time warping might be fun.

_Time warp!_

The blackness came again, but this time I wasn't afraid. Melinda was with me, but I pretty much knew it already. This was becoming a bad habit. I would survey my surroundings in some strange time line, and something horrible to happen. It was much too predictable for me to worry.

We had landed this time into the middle of a bustling city. As normal people in any time, not one seemed to notice a thing. The first thing I noticed was the atmosphere of this place. Usually, I couldn't sense any emotions from people without some form of concentration. Without any thought, I could tense very tense feelings from the people around me. It was like they were on edge all the time.

Melinda was beside me, brushing herself off. She always paid attention to the cleanliness of her clothes. She noticed something that I had not yet seen. All around us, there were identical posters. They were plastered on every shop wall and on every building. They all said the same thing. The people didn't give them a second glance, as if they were a normal occurrence.

Melinda and I moved closer so we could read the poster. It told us for certain what time period we were in. It was telling all eligible young men to enroll in the army. The date read May 1st, 1941. They had landed right in the middle of world war two. No wonder people were so tense! Melinda was tense too. I knew why. Her father had become a whitelighter in 1942. In this time, he was still alive.

We saw a large group of young men huddled next to a shop a small way up the road. Slowly, we walked to where they were. An older man was standing high upon a plat form. He was shouting strange things, about how they would serve their country, and if they were to die, they would die with honor. I recognized one of the young blond men, although Melinda did not.

Their, amidst the crowd, was my uncle Leo, when he was still human. It took Melinda a moment to notice him. "Dad", she whispered, awestruck. I knew what she was going to do a moment before she did it. I grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Melinda, think this through", I said seriously, "You know that you can't."

She turned at me, her pale blue eyes wide. Then, out of nowhere, she began to cry. "I have to…" she began shakily, "…you don't understand!" I shook my head slowly. I did understand. I understood much more than she knew.

"Listen", I said softly, " you have to think this through…It would be great if he had never died, really, it would. But if you changed his fate, he would have never met Aunt Piper. You would have never been born."

Melinda managed a weak sort of chuckle. She quickly used her sleeve to wipe the tears off her face. I could tell that she was a little embarrassed. She rarely blushes, but a pink tinge, like the one I saw now, appeared on her cheeks. "I know that", she muttered. "I was being silly. It's just…he's my dad…I wanted to save him…I wanted him to love me more."

She began to cry again. Her loud dry sobs broke the tense silence this time presented. I wrapped her in a warm hug and held her tight. I knew she needed a hug. I needed a hug too. We stood there in the middle of the street hugging. The weight of everything that had happened over the last two weeks hit me all at once.

We were still trapped in the past. We were separated from everyone we knew and loved. After two horribly long weeks, we had really made no progress. I realized the gravity of our situation in that moment. Things were pretty much as bad as they could possibly be. At least they were together. They were cousins and the best of friends. They would see each other through everything.

Melinda and I were abruptly wrenched apart. The world was doing that strange melting thing again. It was making me feel a bit nauseous. I hoped we'd be going home. I didn't understand all this bouncing through time…or as I had come to think of it, time warping. I hoped we wouldn't go to another random time. This was just pointless. As the now familiar darkness enveloped me, I wanted nothing except to go home.

When everything made sense again, we were back in the manor's sitting room. When I finally opened my eyes, Prue, Aidan and Grams were standing around us staring. I let out an audible sigh of relief. Even if it wasn't exactly home, it was good to be back in the time from which we had started.

"Thank goodness you're back, we were very worried", Grams said quickly. Melinda and I looked at each other. Never in our lives had we heard Grams admit that she was worried.

"How long have we been gone?" Melinda asked curiously.

"Nearly two hours", Aidan replied. He was extremely pale. I could tell he had been more worried than he was letting on. A part of me was glad he was so worried about me. My sister Prue was quiet, something I hadn't expected from her. I observed her closely. I knew that there was something weird about her.

Prue held up her right hand, which was now almost completely transparent. "So you noticed", she said with a sigh. Prue was fading, right before my eyes. She seemed to notice my stunned look. "It's nothing to be worried about. The spell I used to get her was only for 24 hours, and my time is up in about a minute", she explained.

It took me about a second to digest this. "Oh", I said, "Say hi to mom."

Prue was almost completely invisible by then. She waved at us. Then she was gone. She left uncomfortable silence behind her. I would miss her, but at least now we could do some serious work. I would get us home soon, no matter what.

The atmosphere in the room was so thick, that you could cut it with a knife. All of us were overwhelmed by what had happened in the last 24 hours. I was especially uncomfortable being back at the manor. I had still told no one what I had done. If everything worked out, I would never have to tell anyone.

"Well, at least nothing can get worse!" Melinda said brightly trying to lighten the mood.

She was very wrong. At that moment, the ground began to shake…


	14. Childhood Monsters Come to Call

**Chapter 14: Childhood Monsters Come to Call**

My face lost all its color. It looked like I had seen a ghost. In a way, it was a ghost, a ghost from my past. This was one of the more terrifying of my childhood monsters. It was one of the rare ones that no one could defeat. Earthquakes, like the one we had just experience were normal for San Francisco. Having lived my whole life in San Francisco, earth quakes shouldn't really frighten me. I wasn't frightened of the earth quake, precisely.

Melinda knew what I was frightened of. She had been there with me. She had seen it too. The demon that lived hidden in the basement of our family home was a terrible one indeed. It escaped only when there was an earth quake. Every time it did, it wreaked havoc on our lives. Its goal was to spread evil through the house. Last time, when we were 10, it possessed my sister and I. It forced us to do horrible things.

Aidan could tell that I was worried. He didn't know what for, because that was the one demon I never spoke of. Melinda was scared too, but not nearly as terrified as I was. She had seen what Prue and I had done under the influence of the shadow demon, and it had scared her. Still, never had she nearly been forced to kill her own family. She would never really understand.

"What's wrong Patience", Aidan asked, gently touching my arm. His touch still sent shivers up my spine. The moment his skin left mine, I convulsed, as I was thrown into a premonition. When I came out of it, I was shaking uncontrollably. What I had seen had only confirmed my worst fears.

"The Woogyman", I whispered, "he's back…" Melinda's pale blue eyes widened at my statement. Even Grams had registered some recognition at the name. She had fought the Woogyman before; although that time she had come off much better than they had. Only Aidan remained confused. Of course, the name wouldn't mean anything to him.

I found myself trembling uncontrollably. I wanted to stop, but I couldn't. The dark shadow I had seen, and remembered all to well inspired a strange fear in me. It was the most vulnerable I had felt for a very long time. My dark eyes scanned the house nervously, looking for the Woogyman. I thought I saw it popping out everywhere – which I reminded myself, it could.

I was shaking so violently, that my legs gave way beneath me. I collapsed into Grams' arm. She caught me, which was remarkable for a woman of her age. Aidan peered over me, his eyes filled with a concern I had never known. He was scared for me, truly scared. He helped me to my feet, and I forced myself to stop shaking.

"Do you want to tell me what's so special about this Woogyman?" he asked gently.

I swallowed hard. I really did want to tell him. It was just so hard. Involuntarily, I thought back to the Woogyman, a formless shadow ready to take you over. I opened my mouth, and rapidly closed it. It was difficult to find words good enough to describe the horror that that creature created. He would never understand what it was like to take orders from a shadow. Normal children were afraid of what went bump in the night. I was different. I knew what hid in the night, and sometimes, it terrified me.

"You can face it Patience", Melinda whispered, "I'll be here with you. I nodded at my cousin. She understood that I was grateful for her words of confidence. I tried to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to my lips. The ground had begun to shake again. Without thinking, I clutched Aidan's arm tightly.

My surge of sudden fear had to be very visible. "You can tell me what's wrong Patience. You can trust me", Aidan said. I wanted to believe him. I longed to believe him. Normally I didn't show much fear, nor did I feel it. The Woogyman was the only demon that frightened me. It was the only demon that made me freeze up. I wanted to tell Aidan, but I wished that someone else would take that burden from me.

I had never told anyone outside my family about my greatest fear.

I didn't know how I could stand to face the Woogyman again. I tried to push him from my mind after what he did the first time. I could sense him…and I didn't know why. The last time I faced him, he had been one with me. I understood that. I didn't understand why I knew that now he was in the basement, awaiting a semi willing victim.

Aidan was still staring at me expectantly. I had to give him an answer. I knew that he would understand, and that he would help me. Logically, I knew that was the case. That didn't make telling him the truth any less difficult. I tried to think of a way to explain. I needed him to know that every time I saw that demon, I sort of froze up. He needed to understand that the Woogyman represented everything I had feared as a young child.

I took a deep shuddering breath and began to tell my story. "He lives in the basement, and most of the time he can't hurt us. When there's earthquake, he escapes. He can possess whoever he wants, and make them do horrible things…" I trailed off. That was about all I could manage to say without bursting into tears.

He nodded slowly. I think he understood as much as he possibly could have without having experienced it himself. He squeezed my hand gently, infusing me with the courage that I needed. I felt like I could face anything…even the Woogyman. I looked to the left and the right, and was shocked to see no one there. Where was Grams and Melinda?

"Grams? Melinda?" I asked tentatively to the relative emptiness. As I had expected, I received no answer. Aidan looked at me, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. As a telepath, you would expect me to know what people were thinking all the time. Usually it wasn't the case. With both Aidan and Melinda, it was different.

I strained my ears to listen for any sound of them. Aidan and I nearly jumped when we heard it. From the basement came a distinctive crash.

"That came from the basement", Aidan said gravely. He was grave because he understood what that meant. I understood too. The Woogyman had them under his spell. Aidan and I were the only ones who could save them.

"The Woogyman", I muttered softly. Never in recent memory had I felt so afraid. My greatest fear resided in our basement. To save my great-grandmother and my best friend and cousin all rolled into one, I had to face it. It was time for me to choose what was really important. It wasn't as easy as I wanted it to be.

"We're going after them", I said firmly. Aidan looked at me questioningly. Perhaps he had noticed the slight quaver in my voice. Either that or he thought that because of my earlier reaction, this was one demon I shouldn't face.

"It's okay Patience. It's okay to be afraid", he said softly. I was going to retort that I wasn't afraid, but that would be a blatant lie. An idiot would have noticed that I shook with every step closer to the basement door. The door was ajar. This was not a good sign.

"Aidan", I whispered. I was happy to find that the guy I wished was my boyfriend still walked behind me. It gave me strength to keep putting one foot in front of another. "Can you provide a little lighting?" I asked him, "I probably could, but I don't want to use those powers right now."

Aidan nodded. I felt a comfortable heat behind me. I turned to see Aidan holding a ball of orange flame that lit the room directly in front of us. The light comforted me a little. I took a slow calming breath. When Aidan and I reached the foot of the stairs going down to the basement, I gasped.

Lying slumped at the top of the stairs was Grams. I knelt down and gently pressed two fingers to her neck to check her pulse. It was strong and steady. She was merely unconscious. Aidan shot me a look of understanding. This could mean only one thing. The Woogyman got Patience. It was up to us to get her back.

Suddenly, we heard Melinda call for us from the shadowy depths of the basement. "Aidan, Patience, I need your help!" she yelled. It was so dark in the basement, that even with Aidan's fire, we couldn't see her.

Aidan and I looked at each other, and we simultaneously said, "Trap." It was such an obvious trap that we didn't know why the Melinda…no, the Woogyman…we didn't know why the Woogyman even bothered. Without hesitation, we walked down the first few steps together. What other choice did we have?

When we got closer to the bottom of the stairs, we could see Melinda. She was standing there, staring at us. As she was bathed in the light from Aidan's fire, I could see that she wasn't exactly Melinda anymore.

She was smiling, but it wasn't her usual smile. It was an evil glare. It was like she dared me to come closer. She seemed to not even take any notice of Aidan. I stayed firmly rooted to the spot. I could do nothing more then stare at the person who was once my cousin.

"What's the matter", Melinda cackled. That was the first time I've ever heard Melinda cackle. She was still speaking in her normal voice, but her tone was far from normal. It was as close to evil as Melinda's normally calm voice could get. It was unsettling, almost frightening. "I got a new power", Melinda said, almost conversationally. There was a puff of black smoke and a very long knife appeared in Melinda's hands.

"This isn't you Melinda. You don't want to do this. You're my cousin, and I love you", I said. There were tears in my eyes. I was begging her, only she wouldn't listen. She smiled. It was that insane smile that sent shivers up my spine.

"You're right. I don't want to do this", she said softly. My muscles that I didn't know were tense relaxed a little. I shouldn't have relaxed at all. Melinda wasn't finished speaking. Or at least…the Woogyman wasn't finished. "HE WANTS ME TOO!" yelled a guttural voice that I was sure didn't belong to Melinda.

I cringed, and beside me, so did Aidan. She ran towards me, completely ignoring Aidan. I was paralyzed in fear. I couldn't even think to use any sort of power to uses. I shut my eyes and waited for the fatal impact I knew was sure to come. It never did. I opened my eyes to see Melinda flying through the air and smashing into the opposite wall.

There was another power I didn't know I had. Quickly, I ran up the stairs two at a time. Aidan followed without being told what to do. I was thinking fast, although I didn't know what to do. "Aidan, what do we do?" I asked him quickly. He didn't have an answer for me. Both of us were improvising.

There was a spell specifically to vanquish the Woogyman. If I could say it while Melinda was still unconscious no one would get hurt. I tried to think back to what on earth that spell was. I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was. I knew it had something to do with light, but other than that, I was totally blocked. I had to think fast. Melinda was stirring.

"Um…um..." I said frantically. My eyes darted around the basement. I looked for any sort of possible escape. There was no escape. Suddenly, an idea that might help us hit me with the force of a speeding train. "Aidan, start a fire!" I yelled urgently. Aidan didn't ask questions, and he did as he was told.

Leaping flames appeared instantaneously, surrounding the form of Melinda. She had regained consciousness and gotten up. She merely cackled at the sight of the flames. Without blinking an eye, she stepped through the flames. When she emerged from the flames, she was completely unscathed. That scared me most of all. If she was still Melinda, she couldn't have done that.

"What now?" Aidan asked, glancing sideways at me. I shook my head. I didn't know how to answer him.

"I'm thinking!" I exclaimed irritably. I was thinking. I thought as fast as I possibly could. If only I could remember that stupid spell, everything would be fine. I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was.

An athame had appeared in a puff of black smoke in Melinda's hand. "How do you want to die?" she said almost sweetly. She let the athame fly, aiming directly for my head. I levitated several feet into the air at exactly the right moment. Had a been a second late…well…I wouldn't have been able to land lightly on my feet, to put it lightly.

"Please Melinda…you don't want to do this. You know me…it's Patience. You're strong enough to fight him", I begged. Usually, I didn't beg. I hated how in movies, people begged and pleaded and then those people already ended up dead. Today the circumstances were a bit different. This was Melinda we were talking about.

"Of course I want to", she said in that inhuman voice she had used once before. My cousin Melinda was gone. The only hope of saving her would be for me to remember the spell. I wished I could freeze her. She wasn't exactly a good witch anymore, so it would have worked. Stupid powers. There was nothing I could do.

Melinda was staring straight ahead now. Her gaze was slack and unfocused. There was black billowing smoke all around her. It took a vague almost human form. That was the Woogyman, how he usually looked. "Hello Patience", said the Woogyman in a low grumbling voice.

I felt my blood run cold. How on earth could the Woogyman know my name? I had never been as afraid as I was at that moment. I had no idea what to do. I thought I was panicking before, but that was nothing compared to this. The earth shook violently again. I stumbled, and I feared I would fall down the stairs.

To regain my balance I stuck out my arm to grab hold of the wall. My hands touched the picture of my mother and aunts that always hung beside the basement door. As my hands touched the picture frame, I gasped as I was thrown into a premonition.

_Flasback_

_I was a young child, hesitantly walking into the basement. A dark shadow went through my nose and mouth confusing me. The Woogyman told me to use my powers against my family. I didn't want to, but he was too powerful. I formed a knife with which to kill them. _

_My mother had found me. She had been devastated by what I had become. Reluctantly they had trapped me in a crystal cage. I hadn't understood what was happening. I had been to young. I walked towards the edges of the cage, bouncing backwards. My mother said the spell. _

I was ejected from the premonition with the force of a bullet. Despite my greatest fear that I was facing, I wasn't afraid anymore. I knew what to do. After that premonition, it felt like I had my mom there with me to help me. Aidan looked at me and smiled. Everything felt so right when he was there. I managed a small smile too.

"I know what to do now", I said.

Melinda had come charging towards me. She brandished the knife, ready for the kill. I recognized the blood lust in her eyes. I recognized it because I had felt it myself. When I had felt it though, it was all my own doing. I stood my ground. I could say the spell.

"I am light", I began shakily. I felt my throat suddenly constrict. I clawed at my neck. It felt as if someone invisible was strangling me. I backed up a little.

"I am one to strong to fight. Return to dark where shadows dwell", I said quickly. I was finding it very difficult to breath. Melinda stood stone faced opposite me. Her hand was clenched in a fist. It was her! She was the one telekinetically pressing on my windpipe. Aidan kept the fire burning, but I had to be the one who finished the spell.

"You cannot have this Halliwell", I gasped. My throat burned. Breathing was almost unbearable. Aidan was looking at me extremely concerned. There was nothing he could do to help me now. I had to help myself.

I fell to my knees. I saw black spots everywhere. "Go away and leave my sight, and take with you this endless night", I managed to whisper. The Woogyman shrieked, and in an instant, he exited Melinda's body, and returned to under the basement floor. Melinda's telekinetic grip on my throat stayed strong until she fell to the ground.

"Are you okay Patience?" Aidan asked. That was the last thing I heard before my lack of breathing ability, and the indescribable pain became too much. I fell into the endless darkness and thought no more.

**TBC…**


	15. Their Greatest Fear

**Chapter 15: Their Greatest Fear**

It took me a moment to realize where I was and why I was on the floor. As I lifted my head groggily, it all came rushing back. I opened my eyes to see my anxious cousin staring at me. She was crying. I saw the tears fall from her clear blue eyes. Quickly I sat up, causing a major head rush.

I glanced around the room I was in. It was the basement. I could not have been unconscious for long. Aidan stood next to the stairs with his arms crossed. He determinately kept his expression blank, although I knew he had been crying. He came over to me and stuck out his hand to help me up. I took his hand, and stood up.

What had just happened was very difficult to process. Melinda, my kind and gentle cousin Melinda, she had been the one who had done this to me. She took a step towards me nervously, as if she was afraid to look me in the eyes. "I'm so sorry!" Melinda said suddenly. I was surprised by this outburst. "I didn't mean to, and I just really hope you'll forgive me."

Melinda was practically hysterical now, and I didn't understand why. I didn't blame her at all. In fact, I was probably one of the only people in the world who understood exactly how she felt. Had she forgotten that I too knew what it was like to be evil? Unfortunately, I knew what it was like to be forced to attack the people you love. The large weight of guilt that I had felt since I had killed that homeless man returned to full measure.

"You shouldn't be sorry", I said, shaking my head emphatically. I truly believed this, more than anything else in the world. "It was not your fault." Slowly and hesitantly, Melinda nodded. She looked at me with wide eyes. Melinda was shocked…speechless…and I could tell. I knew she didn't believe me, but I had to make her believe me. I couldn't believe that she, of all people, was sorry. I was the one who should be sorry.

"There was nothing you could have done", I told her earnestly.

"Thanks", she whispered. She stepped towards me, and we hugged. That act right there suddenly made everything right with the world. Aidan stood next to me, and he held my hand. The anxiety I didn't know I had pent up suddenly disappeared. Everything would be okay now.

All that was left to do was to get home. We had been in this time for so long, that I wanted nothing more than to go home. I didn't see anything else that could get in our way. It wouldn't be that hard, right? I was sure it wouldn't.

Belthazor was extremely displeased. Once again, his trusty minion had failed him. Of course, that demon had been disposed of. Now, it was up to his once second in command, Taranis, to fix the problem. What he needed was the children from the future dead. They were much too powerful to live. If Taranis was not able to do it, he would be reduced to ash, just like his predecessor.

The lower level demon trembled before him. Belthazor knew that it was bad new even before the demon had spoken. The demon known as Taranis cleared his throat nervously. "The plan…the plan failed", said the servant nervously. He waited for reprimand, but it never came. He hung his head, frightened to look his master in the eye.

"You will not be punished", said Belthazor in a deep voice, "It was Tempus' fault, after all." Taranis breathed an audible sigh of relief. His master, however, was not finished. "You will have one more chance!" Belthazor yelled. His yell shook the whole underworld cave. "This time, you make the plan. If you fail, you die", he growled. With a shimmer, he was gone.

Taranis stayed in the cave, his mind working as quickly as possible. There was only one demon he could think of who could help him destroy the witches from the future. The difficult thing would be convincing that demon to help him. The demon he was thinking of was an extremely powerful one. If he mentioned his master, he would be sure to help. Everyone wanted the source's right hand man to favour them.

Now he needed to find Barbas.

The potion was almost done. I was sure it would work. It had to work. It was our only chance. Melinda didn't trust me much in making it. It was after all my careless potion making that had brought us here. Melinda couldn't deny that I did have an idea. With the right combination of ingredients, we would be home in no time.

I had delegated the task of writing a spell to Aidan and Melinda. A potion alone wouldn't get us home. My cousin and my boyfriend didn't look that delighted at working together. They didn't argue too much. They both knew that they had a talent with spells. Aidan was good with rhyming, and Melinda could always find the right wording. I thought it would be a good chance for them to work out their differences.

Grams of course wanted to help, but I wouldn't let her. She had more important things that she should be doing. The most important of which was to keep young Piper and Phoebe out of our way. We had been lucky that there weren't more close calls then there already were. My great-grandmother had managed to convince them to visit their father for a week, and she went to. Hopefully, that would be enough time.

I was looking for a plant powerful enough to send us far forward in time. Grams didn't seem to have any powerful enough in the attic store cupboard. So far Melinda and Aidan had been quite calm with each other. I went to the book of shadows to look for an alternative when all hell broke loose.

"That's stupid! That'll never work!" Aidan shouted. I wouldn't say he was angry exactly. More like frustrated.

"No it's not. Time rhymes with rhyme!" Melinda protested loudly. Melinda was in fact very angry. She was very much a perfectionist, especially when it came to spells. Usually, she didn't have this much trouble working with others. Maybe she just really didn't like Aidan.

I slammed the book of shadows shut. It reacted rather violently to being treated like that by flying across the room. "This is not the time for fighting!" I yelled. I had had enough. I tried not to loose control like this, but those two were making it impossible. "Get back to work!" I said authoritatively. Great, I was sounding like Melinda.

Melinda and Aidan both looked a little ashamed of themselves. They went back to the spell they were composing. That's when we all heard a strange cracking sound. I looked up to where the sound was coming from. I could see the attic windows and the attic door covering themselves with bricks. The door covered itself as well. We were trapped.

"Patience?" said Melinda quietly. She sounded petrified. I turned round to look at her. I could barely comprehend what I was seeing.

Melinda looked as if she had seen a ghost. Of course, if she had seen a ghost, I would have seen it too. Her already pale complexion had become much paler then usual. She was trembling. "Patience? Where are you?" she asked again, this time, her voice shook as she spoke.

She didn't seem to be able to see me. She was looking right at me, but her gaze seemed to pass right through me. I waved my hand energetically in front of her face. There was no reaction. "I'm right here", I said rather loudly. She didn't so much as flinch.

Suddenly and inexplicably, I saw what Melinda must be seeing. To her, she was no longer in the attic. We were in the front foyer, and it was no longer 1987. There was Melinda, sitting at the foot of the stairs. It wasn't Melinda as I knew her. She could be no more than 5 or 6 years old. Her mother and father were in the doorway, arguing.

Now, I didn't remember this, but I did remember what happened when Melinda was this age. "Melinda, can you hear me?" I asked gently. The child sitting at the foot of the stairs said nothing. She was watching her parents fight intensely.

"It's okay Patience, I remember this", said a voice over my shoulder. There was the present day 13 year old Melinda, watching the scene before us with a pensive look. Not quite sure what to do, I followed Melinda's lead, and I watched.

Aunt Piper and Uncle Leo were yelling quite loudly. I moved a little closer to hear what they were saying.

"Leo you can't do this. She's only a little girl. She'll never understand", Aunt Piper said in a whisper. I could tell that she was trying to keep the young Melinda from hearing what was going on. As always, Melinda was a bit nosy. Unlike Aunt Piper, Uncle Leo didn't seem to care what Melinda heard or didn't hear.

"I can't stay here anymore!" Leo yelled. The young version of Melinda cringed and inched closer to the wall. My aunt Piper was close to tears. The little Melinda just looked petrified. Uncle Leo stormed out the door. He slammed the door behind him, with made the house shake. Aunt Piper began to cry, burying her face in her hands. The young Melinda ran over to comfort her.

I concentrated on the present day version of my cousin. She was staring at the scene before us with a strange detached expression on her face. It wasn't exactly sad, per se. Melinda wasn't crying, or anything like that. She looked defeated. I looked at her in concern. She didn't even seem to see me. She was looking passed me, or more accurately right through me, at her mother and her younger self.

A disembodied voice filled the room, blocking out the strange scene from Melinda's past. It sounded strangely familiar, although I did not recognize it. It addressed itself directly to Melinda. "This is your greatest fear", it said ominously, "You know that your daddy doesn't love you. This terrifies you. Your greatest fear was born the day your daddy left and never came back."

What I had been watching dissolved. The past Melinda and Aunt Piper dissolved into nothingness. My cousin Melinda grimaced in pain and fell to the floor before she too disappeared. I was all alone now. Melinda and Aidan were no where to be found. I tried to steady my breathing. I was still in the manor, somewhere where I had always felt relatively safe.

Instinct caused me to spin around as I heard a sudden noise. It was a rasping noise that I couldn't quite place. I couldn't tell where it was coming from. I looked down to see a very familiar person. My face blanched as if I had seen a ghost. In a way I had. Involuntarily, I began to tremble, as I looked into the face of the only person I had ever killed.

He looked exactly as I remembered him. The stab wound I had inflicted was there, as fresh as ever. He was a bit more pale and decomposed then I remembered, though. There was another thing that was different then him. This one small difference made me want to faint. The man got up and began to walk haltingly towards me. "You are evil", the unnamed man moaned; "Only evil could do this."

I backed away as he continued to walk towards me. Only when I walked into the wall, I stopped moving. There was nowhere left to go. "No", I breathed, shaking my head. I shut my eyes tight, as if that would make him go away. I opened my eyes again when I could feel his putrid breath on me.

"NO!" I yelled, louder this time. I pushed him out of the way ignoring the decaying feeling of his flesh. I ran, but in the drawing room, there was nowhere left to go. The zombie or whatever he was wasn't fazed. He continued to follow me. That's when I panicked.

Before I knew what was happening, a wave of fire shot straight from my hand and engulfed the supposedly dead man. I didn't mean to do that, really I didn't. The man however shot me an accusatory glare. He quickly disappeared in a ball of fire.

The same disembodied voice that had taunted Melinda made itself heard again. "Only someone truly evil could do that to another human being", it whispered. "You are just like your father. You don't deserve to live." I shook my head, as if that would make it stop talking. I didn't want to believe what it said, but it made sense.

I was inhuman…a monster. Only someone truly evil could do something like that. The voice was right. I didn't deserve to live. I choked for air as an invisible hand squeezed itself over my windpipe. I did not fight back. There was absolutely no point.

The first thing I heard when I awoke was Aidan yelling my name. I felt my self floating gently upwards. It was a wonderful feeling. I was floating away from the physical world and all of my troubles. Aidan was talking to me, begging me to stay with him, not to be dead. I opened my eyes to say him crouched over my body. He was sobbing over my prone form. I clung to life, if only for his sake.

I concentrated harder than I had ever concentrated in my life. Slowly but surely I floated downwards. It wasn't working fast enough. Aidan was still sobbing. I saw a knife floating some inches above his head. I called out in warning, but he couldn't hear it. It was a moment before I rejoined my body. The moment I did, I opened my eyes and yelled, "Aidan, watch out!"

Purely on instinct, he ducked. The knife clattered harmlessly to the floor. There was some sort of demon in here, one that none of us could see. All of this seemed very familiar. I knew that I had read something like this in the book of shadows before. I heard a loud noise, and I quickly grabbed on to Aidan. I hugged him, burying my head in his chest and never wanting to let go.

Thinking of the man that I had killed, I began to cry. It was as if I had unleashed a floodgate, and all of my unshed tears were falling. Very reluctantly, I looked into Aidan's earnest grey eyes. "What's wrong Patience?" he asked softly. I didn't want to tell him, really I didn't. It was something about the tone of his voice that made me tell him everything.

"When I was a demon – because of my dad…I…I killed a man!" I cried. I began sobbing uncontrollably again. My body wracked with uncontrollable sobs as I thought about what I had done. That disembodied voice, whatever it was, had been right. I am a monster, and I didn't deserve to live. "I'm evil", I whispered to Aidan.

Gently, he put his hand on my arm. I didn't want to look at him, but something in his gaze was calling to me. I stared into his eyes. "You are the nicest kindest person I know", Aidan said sincerely. "You would never hurt someone of your own free will. This was not your fault. I would never lie to you."

I struggled not to believe what Aidan said. Murder was an unforgivable crime. I didn't think that anyone, especially me, deserved to be forgiven for that. However, what Aidan was saying rang true. Someone truly evil would not feel the unbearable gnawing guilt that I had felt since I had killed that man. A demon like my father would have shed no tears over what I had done.

I started to believe what Aidan had said. I didn't feel as bad as I once did. I looked up at Aidan and I nodded. He helped me up, and we looked around the room. Somehow, we had returned to the attic. The windows and the doors were still blocked. Melinda was no where to be seen.

We still had no idea who the demon that had done this could have been. I knew that I had heard of this demon before. Suddenly it hit me. I did not only know this demon, I had done a project on him for magic school.

"Barbas", I whispered.

"Pardon?" Aidan asked, looking at me quizzically.

"The demon of fear", I explained, "He brings your greatest fear to life. The only way to defeat him is to overcome your fear." Aidan's eyes widened in understanding. This made a lot of sense to him too.

"What are you afraid of?" Aidan asked gently.

My throat felt suddenly tight. I had lost my ability to speak. I thought I had already made it perfectly clear to him what I was afraid. As it turned out, I would have to say it again. "I'm like my father", I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He shook his head in disbelief. "Listen to me", he said clearly. He was using the voice one might use with a disobedient two year old. "You are nothing like your father." I nodded. He had said that often enough. This time was different though. This time I actually believed it. I managed to smile for the first time in days.

"Thank you", I said to him. He shrugged and smiled as if to say it was nothing. It wasn't nothing. What he had said and done for me meant a lot more to me than I would ever tell him. It had stopped me from going down a very self destructive path. The knot that had been in my stomach loosened and disappeared. I wasn't afraid anymore.

One of the windows became partially unblocked. A beam of light from outside appeared in the darkened attic. That's when there was a swirl of black smoke that blocked the very welcomed light. A very thin skeletal man with greasy grey hair appeared in front of the attic window. I recognized him from the picture in the book of shadows. It was Barbas.

Aidan took a protective step in front of me. The demon of fear smiled, revealing disgusting teeth. "You fear that she is harmed", he said to Aidan. Aidan blanched a little. I was shocked and flattered to hear that that was Aidan's fear.

"I'm not afraid anymore!" I said to the demon boldly. He smiled again, that horrible smile.

"Oh, you have stopped being afraid of being evil. But that was never your greatest fear", Barbas said ominously.

I didn't like the sound of what he was saying, or the smug way in which he looked at me. "Your greatest fear is loosing a family member; especially your cousin."

I paled and began to breathe heavily. This couldn't be happening. Everything seemed to swim strangely before my eyes. I began to cry, and sunk to my knees. I couldn't take this anymore. It couldn't have happened, not to Melinda. Barbas just stood there, smiling and nodding.

"No", I whispered, "please no…"


	16. The Mind is a Many Splendored Thing

**Chapter 16: the Mind is a Wonderful Thing**

**A/N: I hope everyone likes this chapter. It's kind of where everything starts getting all conclude…y. There'll be…20 something chapters. No more than 25. I really hope everyone enjoys this chapter. It didn't turn out as good as I wanted it to. I still don't own charmed. **

"What did you do with her?" I yelled to the demon. He merely laughed, and then he was gone. The attic door and the windows became unblocked. I don't know why, but I took that as a bad sign. I looked to Aidan for support, but he merely shrugged. He looked very defeated. I sat cross legged on the dirty attic floor. If only I could clear my mind, to think, we would get through this.

"Should we…just check around the house?" Aidan suggested half heartedly. I didn't really expect anything to come of that, but reluctantly, I agreed. We got up, and very cautiously, we walked out of the attic door. I never remember the house this quiet. It was very unnatural, and I didn't like it. The trip down the stairs seemed to take forever. I was afraid that any sudden noise would anger whatever awaited bellow.

I never expected to find Melinda in the house. Barbas had said he had done something to her, and I was sure that he had. That's why I was so shocked when I saw my cousin in the living room, staring into space. "Melinda!" I called excitedly. My cousin didn't turn to look at me. In fact, she hadn't reacted at all to her name. She was still sitting on the floor, staring into nothingness. Something was horribly wrong.

Aidan and I rushed to her side. "What's wrong with her?" Aidan asked me.

"I have no idea", I responded glumly.

I really had no idea whatsoever. I had seen a lot of strange things in my life, being the daughter of a Charmed One, but I had never seen anything like this. I waved my hand energetically in front of Melinda's face. There was no response. I yelled in her ear, and she didn't as much as flinch. It was as if she wasn't there anymore.

I felt the familiar feeling when you thought of something both very exciting and very frightening at the same time. The rush brought an excited flush to my cheeks. Without explanation, I shimmered out. I returned a moment later with the book of shadows in my hand. I closed my eyes and put my hand over the ancient cover. The pages began flipping at break neck speed. They stopped when I found what I was looking for.

Aidan leaned over my shoulder to read. What was written on the page in flowing calligraphy was a frightening thought, but it made a lot of sense. **_The mind is a very complex and intricate thing. It is tied in with one's emotions. In rare cases, when one is convinced that they are not necessary, that they are worthless, they retreat, into their own mind. The only way to save them is through an extreme emotional realization. _**

I read the short paragraph twice in quick succession. It was a very short paragraph, and I didn't like to think what it could mean for Melinda. "I need you. Please listen to me", I said. I looked into Melinda's vacant blue eyes, but I didn't ever see a flicker of recognition. "What do we do?" I asked, turning to Aidan.

He pointed at the still open Book of Shadows. There was a spell written beneath the short paragraph that I hadn't previously noticed. I glanced carefully at the wording. Aidan had noticed too.

"The way the spell is worded, it means that only one person can say it. You better go", said Aidan softly. I rushed to him and gave him a big hug. He was the most understanding guy in the world!

"Thanks", I said, pulling away from him. I placed my hands on Melinda's forehead as the Book of Shadows instructed. After a quick glance at the book, I began the spell.

"Secret thoughts that I can't find,

Safely hidden in the mind,

Soul that's trapped deep inside,

From my love you cannot hide.

Feelings hidden deep within,

Open up and let me in!"

Sparkles of gold danced before my eyes. The room around me was dissolving into nothingness. I felt my self floating gently through the air. New scenery then replaced the view of the manor. Where ever I was, it was very dark. The only light came in bright bursts in the distance. It kind of reminded me of outer space. There were doors of all shapes and sizes hovering above the ground.

I knew where I must be. I was inside Melinda's mind. It was much creepier than I could have ever imagined. I shivered, although I wasn't the least bit cold. I knew that Melinda would be behind one of those doors. The question was which one? I didn't want to just open random ones. That would be stupid.

I stopped in front of a tall white door with pink flowers stenciled around it. I knew that door. It was the door to the room Melinda and I shared when we were very young. That seemed as good a place to start as any. With a trembling hand, I turned the antique silver knob. The door opened onto the room that we once shared.

I peered around cautiously inside. There was our door house in the corner. Barbies and books were strewn around the door. It was eerily silent. In the room it was nighttime. Rays of moonlight flooded through the window. Melinda wasn't in the room. No one was in the room. I was about to leave when I heard a noise.

The noise was coming from the closet. It was a horrible rattling rumbling noise. As I had once slept in that room as well, I knew exactly what it was. All children fear the monster that lives in the closet. In our closet, there was a real monster. I glanced a final time at the bunk beds we once shared. Then I ran out of there.

I slammed the door shut, and ended up exactly where I started. The strange abyss with all of the floating doors was kind of freaking me out. If it had not been Melinda trapped in here, I would have left. For my cousin, I would do anything.

It was time to try another one of the doors. This time I tried a pale blue rounded one that I didn't recognize. It looked very…well…non-threatening. I didn't want a repeat at what had just happened. This being Melinda's mind, and not mine, I knew that I had no way to prevent that.

I opened the door to find a very pleasant scene. The floor of this chamber of Melinda's mind seemed to be made of clouds. The sky was a flawless blue, and I could hear the faint sound of chimes in the air. This was exactly how Melinda described "elder land" as we called it jokingly. Melinda had been there many times, but when she tried to bring me, it never worked.

I knew that the reason I was not permitted to go there was because I am part demon. My demonic powers may have been bound for most of my life, but that didn't stop me from being part demon. I saw Melinda no where in this place, so I felt no need to stay. I knew that I was a good person, I believed that now, but I felt strangely uncomfortable here.

When I left, I closed the door lightly behind me. This was getting me nowhere. There had to be millions of doors in this place that was my cousin's mind. I tried to sense her instead. For as long as I could remember, Melinda and I had shared a special bond. Although sensing was not really one of my powers, I could always sense her for some reason.

I closed my eyes and concentrated. I tried to feel Melinda. I let her essence filter into my psyche. My eyes snapped open at once. I had felt her. What I had felt along with her was not good. I felt hopelessness and despair. Wherever Melinda was, it was not a happy place. I had to remind her that technically, she was in her own head. That was not a very nice thought.

The door that Melinda hid behind was a foreboding one indeed. It was old and wooded with a wrought iron handle. It looked like the stereotype to the door of a dungeon castle. The door was heavily bolted. I tried to push it open, but it wouldn't budge. Fleetingly, I wondered if I could shimmer while in someone else's mind. It was worth a try.

I shimmer inside the room where I knew Melinda was. It was the most horrible place I had ever seen. The room seemed to be styled in the fashion of an underworld cave, although it was much more foreboding. There were strange spirals of smoke rising from the floor. Chains hung from the walls, inside of which were bones that were almost certainly human. Spattered against the walls was what was almost certainly human blood.

Huddled in the corner was a small figure cloaked by darkness. If I hadn't known it was Melinda, I would not have recognized her. Her face was smeared with dirt and tears. There were bloody cuts all over her arms. Worst of all was the look in her eyes. It looked, well, lost. The look in her eyes was that of a child who couldn't find its mother. It made me feel very uncomfortable. Hesitantly, I approached her.

" Me…Melinda?" I asked hesitantly. I tried in vain to keep the tremble out of my voice. She barely looked up at me. The silence in this strange room was very disconcerting.

"He was right", Melinda said silently. The sudden break of silence caused me to jump a little. "You would be better of without me." A lone tear escaped her eye and flowed slowly down her cheek. I gaped at my cousin in shock. Never, in my lifetime of knowing her, had I suspected that my cousin felt that way.

I was speechless. This didn't often happen to me, but I had no idea what to say. "I need you Melinda", I said. That was all I could think of saying. It was nothing but the truth. Melinda shook her head frantically, trying to brush away the seemingly ridiculous notion that she was needed. I was starting to get a little freaked out. Never in a million years did I think that this could happen to me.

I was stuck in my cousin's mind, and all I could think about was how I had failed her. "I am nothing, you would be better off without me." She repeated over and over again. It was like a mantra, and if she stopped saying it, she would slip off into the darkness surrounding us. I spun around, looking for something, anything, which might help me. There was no one except Melinda for miles around. At the moment, she was in no position to help herself.

There was nothing in this dismal cave that could help either. I was truly alone, and that frightened me more than anything. "I love you Melinda", I whispered. I didn't really expect that to make any difference. However, as I said those words, the strangest thing happened. My cousin got up, and hugged me. I was too shocked to say a thing.

"I love you too", she said. As she said that, she sounded totally like herself. The old Melinda was back. She actually smiled at me. It was a relief to see her smile again. "I know exactly what to do, about everything", she said confidently. I didn't know exactly what everything was, but Melinda sounded sure of herself. When Melinda sounds sure of herself, she's usually right.

I looked around the cave we were in. More precisely, we were in Melinda's mind, but that just confused me. I thought that with Melinda back to normal, we'd be out of her mind. "Um…" I said hesitantly. I was afraid of offending Melinda again, and causing her to shut down again.

"Oh!" she said laughing. It was good to see her laugh. "I know how to get out of here to. I just didn't get out before, because I thought you didn't want me there." I was immediately going to tell her that it was not the case, but I could see that she knew that already. Instead of saying anything more, Melinda held my hands. It was only then that I noticed how pale her hands were. I didn't have to ask her what she was going to do. In a swirl of blue white lights, we were whisked back to the real world.

My body was exactly where I had left it. I opened my eyes, and I was sitting on the floor of the living room. Melinda was sitting beside me. Aidan was hovering near the door, looking beside himself. It took me a few moments to get my bearings. Slowly I stood up, swaying a little. Being in someone else's mind took a lot out of you.

Melinda too got up. She looked a lot more confident then she had been in a while. I ran up to Aidan and hugged him. I broke away, and looked at Melinda awkwardly. I wasn't sure how she felt about Aidan. I wasn't sure of much anymore. She looked at Aidan for a moment. Tentatively, she held out her hand.

Almost just as tentatively, Aidan took it and shook it. It wasn't exactly a declaration of friendship, but it was good enough for me. For now at least, they had called a truce. I couldn't help myself. I squealed with joy, and hugged each of them in turn. They didn't look like they wanted to share in my happy go lucky mood.

"We still have a lot to do. We need to get ourselves home as soon as possible. I have an idea, but it'll be a lot of work, and it'll be very hard to do", she said, very business-like. I smiled to myself. Melinda seemed to be back to her old self. Melinda's view, strangely, was much more cheery than Aidan's. It was Aidan that was right.

"Where's Barbas? What about Belthazor?" he asked. The urgency in his voice brought back all of the panic I had previously felt. I looked into the dark corners of the living room, as if I expected them to jump out of the shadows. What frightened me most was that it was a very real possibility.

I looked to my cousin for reassurance. Melinda had none to give, and neither did Aidan. I froze, when I heard a voice that was all too familiar. It was a voice that I wished I would never hear again, but I was hearing all too often. "I am nowhere, and I am everywhere", said the voice of my father.

It felt like ice was flowing through my veins? Where was he? Was he invisible? You can't fight what you can't see. I was panicking, doing what I did when my father was even mentioned. I felt Melinda put her hand in mine. It was cold and clammy. Aidan held my other hand. His hand was warm and soft.

With Aidan and Melinda beside me, I felt a lot calmer. I let my fear slowly ebb away. I felt the power that was within them flow to me. My own power began to swell as well. Together we could face anything. I told myself that over and over again until it became true in my mind. That truth was soon to be tested.

All around us, dozens of demons, too many to count, shimmered into the room. They surrounded us. They formed a circle around us that we could not break. They were all glaring at us menacingly. The demons held fireballs and swords, all pointed in our direction. I didn't feel that confident anymore. Now I had to fight for my life…


	17. Battling Belthazor

**Chapter 17: Battling Belthazor**

**A/N: Wow, this took me a long time. At least I know how I'm going to end this now. I like this chapter cause it's a really great fight scene. And there's great emotional moments too. I still unfortunately don't own Charmed. I wish i could still write this in class. This chapter-y is dedicated to Carmy!**

It took me all of a moment to size up the demons around me. They were surrounding us, and there was no hope of escape. I didn't really have much more time to think, which in a way, was a good thing. It took only a vague hand gesture from my father, and the demons attacked.

It was hard to fight when demons were coming at me from every which way, but I did the best I could. Three demons rushed towards me, one from the front, one from behind, and one from the side. My eyes wanted to go everywhere at once. My instinct was to shimmer, but I remembered that I couldn't. Instead I used the only active power I had inherited from my mother, and levitated up in the air.

The two demons that had charged for me looked up at me, a confused expression on their ugly faces. I was very lucky to have ended up with stupid demons. The third demon, however, was much smarter than his fellows. I hadn't yet managed levitate out of harms way when he managed to grab onto my leg. I tried to struggle to stay afloat, but it was no use. He pulled me down to the ground, and hard.

I landed with a thump that was as painful as it sounded. I felt a surge of panic as the demon loomed over with a fireball in hand. I could do nothing but squirm. Stars danced in front of my eyes. I head a loud and clear voice shout "Fireball!" The deadly ball of fire orbed away and into my cousin's hand. She used it to vanquish one of the four demons she was facing.

I got up and shook my head vigorously as I tried to regain my bearings. I wanted to thank Melinda, but she had some of her own demons to battle; as did I. The two demons I had previously thought of as stupid were still ready for a fight. They two had the power to make fireballs, such a common power on demons like this. They threw them at me, and as if in slow motion, I did a series of acrobatic flips through the air, just narrowly missing getting hit each time.

I was determined not to use my demonic powers, for fear of what they would do to me. I chose a more human way of fighting, using my expertise at martial arts, as taught to me by my mother. I levitated again, this time aiming at stinging snap kick at the demons face. I heard a satisfying crack, which means I had broken something. Did demons even have bones?

I had no time to think of that, for that demon was injured, but both were pissed. They charged for me, but not before I had let down my guard. In a fraction of a second, I chose to look at my father. He chose not to take part in the fighting, although Melinda, Aidan and I each battled multiple demons. He looked at the battle before him with an expression that was like he was enjoying this.

I couldn't believe what he was doing! All of this was part of his master plan, even to have us battle against lesser demons. I dodged the demon that lunged for me, and then I saw something that made my heart stop. Aidan was fighting three demons of his own, and for the moment, he seemed to be doing pretty well. He was setting the demon's various limbs on fire, causing them to shriek in pain, but it wasn't doing much permanent damage. At least he was holding his own. Only, he didn't see the demon sneaking up behind him. I didn't have time to think anything; only to react.

"Aidan, duck!" I yelled.

Luckily, he complied by ducking low, and the demon did not. I let out all of the energy I had into using the only demonic power I was sure I could use; creating fireballs. I thought of nothing but saving Aidan. I was afraid that if I thought less noble thoughts, my demonic nature would overcome me again.

Instead of a fireball like I expected, a stream of fire came out of my hands, heading straight towards the demons. Although I was scared to death, the fire was hauntingly beautiful to look at. As the three demons burst into flames, I saw nothing but the fire, and Aidan's face. He was looking at me with a strange sort of admiration. He stood up very quickly, ready for the other demons that were sure to come.

"You have to go", he urged me. I had been standing there staring at him for a while. He was right, of course. My father, who had been standing there so still for some time, finally ran towards me. The other demons were no longer of any consequence. I was up against the legendary Belthazor. If I vanquished him, it would be the equivalent of vanquishing myself.

He charged towards me, but I was ready for him. I crouched low, using his own massive size against him. If I transformed into my demonic self, I would nearly equal him in size, but I would avoid that at any cost. As he charged for me, I grabbed his legs and flipped him clean over my head. He was momentarily stunned. He didn't seem to expect that I would be able to take him. Most demons didn't. I may look small, but I do have power.

My father-no Belthazor, I had to differentiate the two – got up and dusted himself off. He looked at me with his pitch black eyes, looking mildly impressed. "You really are you father's daughter", he growled. I shook my head. He couldn't be more wrong. I was nothing like him. Nothing. Belthazor had caused all of my repressed anger to come boiling to the surface.

I threw fireball after fireball at his chest. They each exploded harmlessly as the made contact. They did nothing more than cause him to stumble a little. He wasn't even so much as trying to fight back anymore. It was as if I wasn't worth it. "Good try, daughter dear", Belthazor said with a smirk.

I had had enough. "Don't…you…ever…CALL ME THAT!" I roared. Every syllable was infused with anger. He had no right to refer to me as his daughter. I was nothing like him; I couldn't be. It was happening again. She was much to angry to even try to control it. Her skin changed to a brilliant red, her teeth became fangs, and her fingers became claws.

I couldn't control myself, I couldn't stop it. The palm of my newly demonic hand felt suddenly hot. A stream of pure fire shot forth, catching me off guard. It hit Belthazor square on, knocking him over. He didn't get up as I expected. Fear flooded me. That fear was enough to force me to let go of my anger. I morphed quickly into my human form. So quickly, in fact, that I felt a little nauseous.

He was an awful, evil, vile and horrible man. That didn't mean I wanted him dead. Okay, I did want him dead, but I needed him alive. Killing him, at least now, would be the equivalent of killing me. Cautiously I approached his prone body. For a moment, I wondered if he was faking it. It certainly seemed to be the evil demonic type thing he would do. I shook that thought from my head. That fire seemed like it really worked.

I inched over to him until he was nearly next to me. I took an athame from my pocket, just in case. It was Melinda's, but she wouldn't mind that I borrowed it. Belthazor was much too predictable. The moment I gently tapped him with my foot, he sprang up, his claws aiming for my throat. I was quick to react.

I drew the athame back, and struck, stopping a fraction of an inch away from his throat. My aim was always perfect. "You are like me", he said, sounding mildly impressed. I kept my expression neutral, determined not to let it affect me. I turned, just in time to see Melinda running towards me. "Patience, quick! Hold my hand!" I didn't question her, and I did as she said.

Quickly she chanted, "We call the power of the Halliwells, Death will take you with this spell!" She chanted the spell once, twice and then thrice, adding my power to her own. All of the demons in the room, except of course my father, began screaming in agony. In a burst of light and color, they were gone. "Now time for my plan!" she shouted above the noise. This was my cousin in her element.

"_Keep him busy", _she added telepathically. I nodded discreetly in her direction. Once again, I turned to face my father. "So your stupid little cousin thinks she can destroy me", he said menacingly. I merely nodded, determined not to let him see my true feelings. The only thing that I ever remembered my father telling me was that to a demon, feelings were equal to weakness.

We circled each other, never turning our backs. That was one of the primary rules of fighting; never turn your back. "She really is stupid you know", he continued. Keeping with my plan, I showed no reaction. The next thing he said was the last straw. "Your pretty little boyfriend isn't doing too well, and you won't either, not when I rip your cousin limb from limb."

I noticed Aidan then, slumped against the wall. He was unconscious, but still alive. What he had said about Melinda pushed my resolve not to show how I felt right out the window. I wouldn't even let him think about doing something so horrible. I clutched the athame. It felt cold and powerful in my hand. I rushed towards him, forgetting all the rules, forgetting all the consequences. With one movement, I cut a large chunk of his flesh from his arm.

"You know what this means, don't you", I said, adopting his mocking tone, "With your flesh, I can vanquish you." Much to my satisfaction, I saw him cringe visibly. At that moment, Melinda came running down the stairs. I saw the crystals in her arms, and I knew what she was going to do. I jumped out of the way just in time.

With her arm outstretched, Melinda said loudly and clearly, "Crystals. Circle." There was the tinkling sound of orbs, and the protective crystals formed a circle around my father. He was trapped. Melinda orbed from her place on the stairs, to right in front of the cage. In typical demon fashion, my father tried to escape. The cage was activated, electrocuting him and throwing him backwards. "He knows how to get us home", Melinda explained, " He'll need a little persuasion."

I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about torture, even for horrible demons like him. When I remembered what he said about Melinda, however, I had no objections. I nodded where my father could see, indicating to Melinda to go ahead. "How can we get back to our time?" Melinda asked sharply.

Belthazor got up shakily and looked at her defiantly. " Even if I knew, I would never tell you", he said defiantly. She picked up one of the crystals, and he shrieked in agony. In that moment, I didn't know why, but I felt his pain. I clutched my chest; it felt like it was on fire. Melinda and my father seemed very far away. My cousin heard me; my screams mingling in with my father's.

"Patience…speak to me…should I stop?" she asked frantically. Her voice seemed to be coming from somewhere very far away. I shook my head, for speech at the moment seemed next to impossible. She had to get him to tell us what he knew, not matter what it took. Despite what I said, Melinda put the crystal on the ground. Both my father and I fell to the ground.

Belthazor struggled to his feet. "I will speak only…to my daughter", he said. Melinda looked at me uncertainly. I nodded slowly to her. I could handle him….I needed to handle him. Extremely reluctantly, she walked over to the prone body of Aidan, and orbed out with him. I was left alone with my father. I took a few shaky steps towards him. He was locked in the cage, I reminded myself, and he couldn't hurt me.

"What do you want to ask me?" he asked. I may have imagined it, but I could swear his voice sounded almost human. Suddenly, he transformed into Cole Turner, the human version of himself, the one that had made my mother fall in love with him. I opened my mouth to ask him how to get back to my time. I couldn't do it. Now that I had him here, like this, I had to ask him one of the thousands of questions that had been on my mind since he had walked out of my life when I was five.

I decided to ask him the question I had wanted to ask him since I had killed that man, or what I thought was a man. I took a deep breath and asked, "How do you feel when you kill?" Nervously I awaited his answer, hoping he wouldn't confirm my greatest fears.

He threw his head back and answered almost defiantly, "I feel nothing."

I could tell by his tone that he didn't really mean it. I put my hand over one of the crystals in the cage. I looked into his face, so similar to my own. "I'll pick this up if you don't tell me the truth. I don't care what happens to me, I need the truth." I was begging him. I had made myself vulnerable, simply because I needed to know.

He eyed the crystal apprehensively, but didn't say anything. I picked one up, a fraction of an inch off the ground. He screamed in pain and so did I. I put the crystal back before I caused myself to pass out. He looked at me, his face more human-like than I had ever seen it. "You want the truth?" he asked softly. I thought for a second that he was going to cry. "Every time I kill, every single time, it tears half of me up inside."

It felt like all the wind had been knocked out of me. Whatever I had expected, it was not this. It was as if I was seeing my father clearly for the first time. He was not a soulless monster, and he was not as horrible as he seemed. He was a man, made what he was by his circumstances. Nothing more, and nothing less.

"I'll tell you what you need to know", he said. This was what I was waiting for the endless number of days that we had been trapped here.

"I'm listening", I said.

"There is only one way that you'll be able to get to your time. It is the only way you can travel that far forward in time. You might not like it, since it requires evil magic, but it's the only way. You need a very old spell from the Grimoir. You also need a blessing with the blood of the charmed ones. Only then can you return to your time."

I ran through what he said in my head over and over. The Grimoir would be a very hard book to get. While in my time it was in the center of a volcano, thanks to my uncle Leo, in this time it was always in the possession of the source. The blood would be another problem. The charmed ones technically existed in this time, and they were technically witches, but I couldn't imagine how I could get them to give me their blood.

"_This is going to be very difficult", _I thought to myself, _"Difficult, but not impossible."_

_**TBC…**_


	18. The Source of All Problems

**Chapter 18:The Source of All Problems**

**A/N: Wow, this took me forever! At least it's finally going somewhere, and I know where that is! This is the chapter where they get the Grimoire, although it's not as easy as it seemed (woo!) Enjoy the chapter, and I do not own Charmed. If you want (or if you are Carmen, cause you said you would) then read my story Life Sucks. It's a teen Charmed story, and it'll be updated fairly soon. **

"Where are they again?" My cousin asked me for the umpteenth time. She was referring to the Charmed Ones, although of course they didn't know yet that they were called that. I simply shrugged my shoulders. Grams hadn't been exactly forthcoming on the details. She had just whisked them off somewhere. For that I was grateful. This would be difficult enough to explain as it was.

"Maybe we should concentrate on finding the Grimoire", Aidan suggested half heartedly. He was pacing behind the podium, where the Book of Shadows was opened to the page dedicated to the sources evil book. It wasn't as informative as I had hoped. It was only a measly little page about the most evil book of all time. The page I remembered was much longer. I figured my mother or one of my aunts had added that.

"Let's read the page about the Grimoir again, so we know what we're dealing with", Melinda suggested. We had read that page so many times that I knew it off by heart. I shook my head. I hated that my cousin and my sort of boyfriend were turning to me as their leader. Why not Melinda? She's the smartest. Or Aidan? He's the oldest. No, I was the one they had appointed leader and I had no idea what to do.

I glanced around the attic, hoping for a solution to magically appear from its walls. The fact that we were in the same attic as always was comforting in a way. The attic was where we went when we had a problem, demonic or not. The attic was where we solved those problems.

Aidan sat down, and I took to retracing his steps, back and forth, across the attic floor. There was no way around it. The source was who we needed to be facing. There was no way around it; we couldn't stay here forever. I was scared, honestly terrified, and that didn't happen very often. That's why I didn't share how I felt with Aidan and Melinda. They wanted me to lead. Leaders had to be strong.

I had never faced the source before. My mother and my aunts had, three times in fact. My mom told me the stories; stories I loved to hear over and over. The story of each vanquish of the source symbolized for me the fact that good really can triumph over evil. That didn't change the fact that I had no idea what to do. I knew how they had vanquished the source, but I wasn't sure if we could do the same.

There was another more important reason I was afraid to face the source. Well, two actually, none of which I wanted Melinda or Aidan to be reminded of. The first was that it was because of the source that my aunt Prue had died long before I was ever born. I had met her, of course, but the source cost my mother a sister, and I knew she never forgot that. The other reason was that my father had once been the source.

When I though about it, which I had been doing a lot lately, I could rule the underworld to, if I really wanted. I had the power, and I had the lineage. That was something I really didn't like to think about, but sometimes I couldn't help it. Deep inside me, in a place that I hoped never to explore, I possessed a power equal to that of the source. It would make perfect sense for the source to be hurt by his equal. Unfortunately, my power was equally as evil in its origins.

I didn't share that little tidbit with my cousins just yet. I didn't want to worry them, of course, but I was more concerned about myself. The last time I had embraced my demonic nature, I had nearly become consumed by it. That was not an experience I wanted to relive. Instead of thinking of it anymore, I concentrated on my next big problem. We didn't really know how to find the source. However, I knew someone who did.

We had let my father go. There wasn't really anything else we could do with him. Vanquishing him was obviously out of the question. Before he shimmered off, I made him tell us how to summon him. Before we did so though, we had to decide what we were going to do. It was time someone else did the thinking around here.

"I'm going to summon Belthazor and force him to tell us where the source is", I said to Aidan and Melinda, "but first we need to agree upon what we are doing."

"Calling upon our ancestors is definitely the best bet", Melinda said authoritatively. I loved to hear her talk like that. It was how she usually was; very take charge and in control. I was usually the one along for the ride. I was glad that things were back to the way they were supposed to be. "Of course, in the past there'll be less people to call on…but I'm sure if Aidan calls on his ancestors to…it'll be fine."

Aidan managed a week smile. He had been looking a little off for a while now. I realized that it was because he wasn't used to battling serious threats like this. He was a witch, and a powerful one at that, but demons never targeted him the way they constantly target us. We were the daughters of Charmed Ones, both of us with more power then we knew what to do with. We were used to stuff like this, but he wasn't, and it was freaking him out.

Honestly, I was a little freaked out too. But I let none of that show. Melinda's newly inspired optimism was infectious, so that made me feel a little better. Somehow, when Melinda said everything would be fine, it made it true. I could do the same for Aidan. "It'll be better than fine", I said, managing a smile, "we're going home!"

I managed a smile, even though I wasn't sure that I believed what I just said. I stepped into the center of the attic, and spread my arms wide. I had to concentrate, hear nothing but my thoughts, and feel nothing but my magic. I called out to my father's energy, just as he told me to. I then repeated the chant he had told me using my telepathic power. He had told me the pull of my thoughts would be much more powerful than that of my voice.

_Blood of my blood, magic of my magic, I call upon the ancient power, to bring you to me: here and now. _

A swirl of dark mystical energies appeared right in front of where I stood. It was very different from my father's usual shimmering. He was there, just as he said he would be. He growled, of course keeping up his menacing air. "What is it you want?" he demanded, "I don't have all day!" Melinda and Aidan visibly tensed. I could tell they were afraid of him, and honestly, so was I a little.

I stood up to him however. When I spoke to him, I looked straight into his cold, cruel and merciless eyes. "I need you to tell us where the source is, and I need you to do it now. " He closed his eyes, and I could only assume that he was sensing the source. After a moment, he opened his eyes.

"I'll take you to him", he said. Melinda immediately grabbed my hand, but Aidan looked at me a little uncertainly. I nodded to him once, and he took my other hand. My father preformed some sort of arcane hand gesture. A moment later, we found ourselves in a dark, dank cave, a typical home for the source of all evil.

I motioned that we should be quiet, and we could hear chanting, in some sort of language that none of us understood. I wanted to rush out, but common sense told me to wait there, until the time was right. As it turned out, it didn't matter whether or not I had waited. The source saw everything, and somehow, he knew everything as well.

He walked around the rock behind which we were hiding, and he saw us there. It was horrible to look at him, yet none of us could look away. The source was almost completely covered in a billowing black robe. We could see two scaly white hands poking out, with claws more hideous than before, the kind that could rip you to shreds.

The worst thing was the face. Half of it was so grossly disfigured that you couldn't make out the individual features. My mother told me only upper level demons saw this, and everyone else saw nothing. I looked over at Melinda and Aidan, and they weren't looking up at it in disgust as I was. What was wrong with me!

I didn't have time to ponder what this might mean, because the source had most definitely found us. "What do we have here", he said in the most inhuman voice I had ever heard, "Three witches for me to kill, what fun!"

Melinda walked a small step closer to him and said, "We're not just any witches. We have more power then you could ever dream of." I found that both very brave and very stupid on her part. What struck me was how much she sounded like Aunt Piper when she said it.

The source, of course, didn't like this one bit. "I'LL SHOW YOU LITTLE BRATS POWER!" he roared. He flamed out, and reappeared behind us. We immediately spun around, and saw that his eyes had become flames.

Melinda and I quickly held hands. As we did so, I felt the already immense power within myself magnify. Aidan held onto Melinda's hand, lending his strong power to ours. The confidence and power within me strong, Melinda and I began to chant. As the fire blazed within the source's eyes, it blazed within our hearts.

" Patricia, Melinda, Astrid,

Brianna, Charlotte, Helena,

Laura and Grace!

Halliwell witches, stand strong beside us,

Vanquish this evil from time and space!"

A wall of mystical energies grew from us, and rushed towards the source. We repeated the spell again, and the wave of energies grew stronger. The source was now surrounded by fire, and he was screaming. We were about to repeat the spell a third time, which would finish it, when I realized something.

"Stop!" I yelled Melinda immediately let go of my hand as if it were on fire. The real fire surrounded the source subsided. He was still there, but I think we had wounded him. Aidan let go of Melinda's hand, looking bewildered. My cousin shot me a questioning look, as did Aidan. They were waiting for me to explain everything.

"_If we vanquish the source now, the Charmed Ones will never vanquish the source. Who knows what that could change? Our time as we know it would be gone. None of us might ever have been born!" _I said into their heads.

Melinda looked at me wide eyed, and blushing only slightly. _"I should have known that", _she thought, _"So now what do we do?"_

I didn't answer her. I knew what I needed to do now, but I wasn't about to let Melinda or Aidan in on it. I walked up to the source of all evil as he was straightening himself up and brushing the dust off his robes. "Give me the Grimoir", I said calmly. I couldn't believe I was speaking to him in such a civilized manor, as if I had asked a friend over for lunch.

"I will not be ordered around like that", he stated in a low tone.

I transformed to my full demonic shape for a split second. When I returned to normal, I did something I had never done before, but was sure I would be able to do. I made my eyes turn into a billowing flame, just as the source could do. "Give me the Grimoir!" I repeated. While my body was in its human form, my voice definitely was not.

I had no idea what this could accomplish, but I was shocked at what happened next. The source just flamed out. He was fleeing, and the source I knew from all the stories never fled. Just beyond where he had been chanting stood a large leather bound book. I moved closer, and saw it was the Grimoir. Melinda looked at it in awe. "That was a little too easy", he whispered. I shrugged off his suggestion, and picked up the book. It felt very strange to be holding it.

Aidan wrapped his arms around my waist, and I held my cousin's hand. "Take us home Melinda", I said. We were gone from the cave and back to the manor in a swirl of blue-white lights.

We orbed into the living room. I put it on the coffee table, no longer able to hold it. I could feel the evil radiating off it, just as I could feel the good radiating off the Book of Shadows. The Grimoir looked strangely out of place in the living room of the manor.

"Let's go upstairs, find something to change into, and then we can figure out what to do with that book", I said. Melinda and Aidan immediately took to my suggestion, and rushed up the stairs. I hesitated for a few seconds. I looked at the Grimoir, and I felt uneasy. I was sure that my uneasiness had nothing to do with the fact that it was an evil book. Aidan could be onto something, it was much to easy. I dismissed the thought and followed Melinda and Aidan up the stairs.

_In fact, it was too easy. There was something seriously wrong with that book. When Patience was up the stairs and out of sight, the Grimoir began to glow a sinister red. _

**TBC…**


	19. Not What It Seems

**Chapter 19: Not What it Seems**

**A/N: Wow, this took forever. I wasn't even waiting for carmy...just took long to write. I knew what was gonna happen, so dunno why. Maybe cause this chapter has lotsa feeling and self doubt. Stuff happens too. I know how this story shall turn out, so I'm gonna try to write the next chapter soon. Stupid school (especially english) getting in the way of writing! anyways, review...and enjoy! **

As soon as we found other clothes to wear, we came running down the stairs. The sooner this was over, the better. The Grimoire was lying there, just as we had left it. We still hadn't figured out what we should do with it. It would make the most sense to just open it and do the spell. I knew from experience, though, that it's necessary to be careful when dealing with dark magic such as this.

Melinda reached out to the Grimoire, and attempted to open it. Before she even touched it, she drew back, yelping in pain. "What the hell was that!" she yelled, sucking on her apparently burned finger. I studied the book and her finger for a moment. This seemed very similar to what the book of Shadows did, only in reverse.

"I think it might be like he book of shadows, only instead of protecting itself against evil, it protects itself against good", I said slowly.

It was all well and good, but now that I had identified the problem, what were we going to do about it? If we couldn't touch the book, there was no way we could use the spell within. "Patience will probably be able to touch it", Aidan said hesitantly. I shot him a seething look. What exactly was he implying?

"Well…" he continued slowly. I could tell he was very worried that I was mad at him. It proved how much he had grown that nothing burst into flames. "You know…cause of your dad and all", he said matter-of-factly. Great, now he was trying to rationalize. "You could be the source if you really wanted…so the book won't see you as evil."

I was about to snap at him for that remark, but I begrudgingly admitted to myself that what he was saying was true. I was probably the only living creature who had the ability to become the source of all evil. Not that I wanted to or anything. It was just that if I were to be totally honest with myself, I had to admit that I could.

Hesitantly, I reached out to the Grimoire. Why was I afraid to touch it? I had come to terms with who my father was…at least, I thought I did. There was no way that I was evil, so there was no reason to worry. So, why did I think that something horrible would happen if I touched that book? Nothing bad is going to happen. I told myself this over and over again, but it did very little to help.

My fingers inches from the Grimoire, I realized that I was shaking like a leaf. I pulled my hand away. I looked to my cousin and my sort of boyfriend. "I can't do this", I said, already feeling stupid. What the hell was I afraid of? "_You can do this. I'm here for you"_, Melinda told me telepathically. I smiled at her. Somehow, her words could always give me courage.

This time, my hand was surer as I reached to open the Grimoire. It was silly that a book could cause this much reaction. When I remembered what the Book of Shadows had caused, I nearly wanted to hit myself. This was no ordinary book. I soon found out how much that was true, because the moment my hand touched the foreboding cover, a scream ripped through my mind as I was forced to endure a terrible premonition.

It was cold. I didn't know where I was. I was scared…so scared. So dark. Wanted to get out. Trapped. The book. Evil. It was evil. The spell to bring us home. Couldn't do it. The source. Fireball. Pain. Burning, searing, excruciating. Screaming all around. Everything gone. Then nothing.

I shot out of the premonition nearly as forcefully as I had been pulled into it. I stumbled backwards, shaking and sweating profusely. It was Aidan who caught me. Not only had I seen that premonition, but I felt it. I heard my mother describe similar experiences countless times. I had always had some awareness of my own feelings during premonitions. However, in this premonition, I didn't only feel my own feelings; I felt everyone else's.

Such terror and such pain…I had never felt nor experienced anything like it before. We had all died in that premonition; Aidan, Melinda and I. I had seen visions of my own death before, and they terrified me. What was worse this time was that I actually felt it. I had felt Melinda and Aidan's death too. I had felt it all.

I was completely unaware that Aidan was pulling me to my feet. I could barely stand. It was difficult to even think. He managed to get me seated on the sofa, and he and Melinda sat on either side. I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself and explain what I had seen. The moment I looked at them, I began to cry. I cried for the knowledge of what was to come. I cried because I couldn't stop it. Most of all, I cried because I loved them both so much.

"Patience, What is it? What did you see? I know it must have been horrible, but you have to tell us", Melinda said gently. She put her hand on my shoulder, and Aidan held my hand. Their support did not give me strength as it had done before. Instead it made me feel more helpless and alone than ever before. They didn't know what would happen. I had to tell them. I had too.

"It was…, I began, choking back sobs, "we were…" I couldn't. It was too much. Whenever I though about what I had seen, I wished I could die just then, to spare myself any future pain. Aidan reached over, and placed his arm around me. Melinda began flattening my hair. It was what my mother used to do when I was upset. It made me feel a little bit better. "We died!" I managed to choke out.

Melinda and Aidan looked at me with identical expressions of shock. There reactions then were so predictable that I didn't need to have the power of premonition to have predicted them.; Melinda immediately began to discuss possible plans of action. Aidan immediately began to panic. I really didn't need this right now.

Strangely, neither of them asked to hear the details of my vision. I was kind of grateful for this. Never did I want to recount the terror I had seen in felt. I would not let the people I cared about disintegrate like that. For that was what was left of them, nothing more than ashes.

I kind of wondered why they did not ask. Perhaps they could tell by the expression on my face that what I had seen had been to terrible for words. I had caught sight of myself in the hall mirror, and if it was that, I didn't blame them. I could see it in my chocolate brown eyes. I looked terrified, and I couldn't help it because I was.

There was no reason they needed to have that imaged burned into their minds. I would never forget it. They did not need to carry that burden. It wasn't necessary that they heard the screaming over and over again. Although I had had the vision a good fifteen minutes ago, I couldn't get the screaming out of my ears. That burden didn't need to fall on them.

I leaned on Melinda's shoulder, and tried to shut my eyes as tightly as I could. It did not help block out my panicked thoughts. Every time I opened my eyes, even for a second, I saw the Grimoire. It was taunting me. That book was mocking me with what I knew. Suddenly I sat bolt upright. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have forgotten?

Slowly and cautiously, I backed away from that evil book. I pulled Aidan and Melinda away from it too. "Patience, what is it?" Aidan asked, his voice filled with concern.

"The source…the source's essence followed us in that book!" I yelled. My statement sounded so strange that it was almost comical. For a moment there was silence. Then all hell broke loose. The Grimoire on the table began to glow a sickening red. Melinda tensed ready to fight. Aidan created a protective circle of fire all around us. I knew it wouldn't protect us for long. And I just froze up.

The book spat out a dark shadow. That dark shadow quickly became the source. I could see it through the fire. We thought we had won that battle, at least temporarily. I knew it had been anti-climactic! I should have done something. This was my fault, and I had no idea how I could fix it.

Beside me Aidan had his eyes closed, concentrating. It took a lot of work for him to keep the fire going. For now it was worth it. For the moment at least, this was an obstacle the source couldn't penetrate. Melinda kept trying to blow him up. I fought the urge to tell her that it was useless. You couldn't destroy the source of all evil like this. We couldn't even destroy him. I doubted that we could if we wanted to, since we could barely stall him.

As Melinda and Aidan gave the source their best shot, I thought long and hard about what I could do. I needed to prevent what I had seen. If I just stood here and did nothing, my premonition would surely come to pass. There was only one logical conclusion I could come to. There was only one thing I could possibly do. I had to call upon my power, all of it. I didn't want to, but it was my only choice.

I was perhaps the only person alive who knew, or al least guessed, how much power I actually had. I had always known this, even though my mother had always kept this from me. I was probably the most powerful being alive, or who had ever lived. I didn't think this was me being a show off, it was just the truth. Combing one of the most powerful forces of good and one of the most powerful forces of evil had never been done, and I was the result.

To an outsider, it would appear that having all this power would be to my advantage. It was one thing to have the power, and it was another to actually use it. Melinda, who was nearly as powerful as I and with access to all her powers much longer, still didn't like using all the power she possessed. Accessing a power like that took a lot out of a person.

There was also a problem with too much power. If you used it too much, it could start to use you. Power, in is pure and basic form, made no distinction between good and evil. It hungered to be used, and it hungered to have control. It was simple. They say that ultimate power corrupts and consumes. What I have was the closest thing to ultimate power one person would ever get. It was one hell of a burden.

I didn't tell my cousin or my sort of boyfriend what I was going to do. I was in desperate need of their help, and they were less likely to help me if they knew the truth. Still I loved them, and it would be cruel to keep them completely in the dark. If I were to fail, which at this point was a possibility, we would all lose.

"I need to hold you hand. Both of you, quickly", I whispered. The fire was flickering, and Melinda was getting tired. I was sure that neither of them could keep this up any longer, and the source was getting closer. Aidan grabbed my hand immediately, but Melinda hesitated. She knew me long enough to know that I was planning something, and whatever it was, it might be a little dangerous. My plans usually were.

"_Please trust me", _I begged Melinda telepathically, _"I promise I know what I'm doing." _Her bright blue eyes met my dark brown ones. She grabbed my hand. I closed my eyes, letting myself feel all the power within myself. It was all there right bellow the surface, waiting to be freed. No 0only could I feel my own power, but I could feel that of Aidan and Melinda as well.

It was overwhelming. I wasn't Patience anymore. I was just a vessel for all this power now. Still, this vessel knew exactly what she was going to do with this. I had never done this before, but in theory, I should be able to. Theory was one thing, but practice was another thing all together. The source was heading for us now. He threw an energy ball at us. I concentrated my entire being on stopping it. It stopped in mid air and then disappeared.

Then I tried to visualize all the power I could feel and almost taste that was flowing through the three of us. I imagined it as a physical entity. A wall of the strangest light I had ever seen formed in front of us. It shimmered with every colour of the rainbow. It was a solid, a liquid, and a gas all rolled into one.

It wasn't a wall to destroy, only to stop temporarily. I knew that this would prevent the source from doing anything until we were safely back in our own time. However, it was taking all my energy just to keep it in existence, let alone make it move forward. It was taking the energy or Aidan and Melinda too. What I had feared had happened. Instead of us using the power, it was using us.

I concentrated on getting that wall to consume the source, to send him to some temporary purgatory. It had to happen as soon as possible. The longer it took, the more drained we became. Inch by inch, the wall moved forward. The source had no where to go. Soon it would be upon him, and we would rest.

At last, the wall consumed him. He screamed and he screamed, but I new he would not die. He would stay in this state of agony until our departure released him. Finally, he was gone. The room was eerily quiet. It was almost normal, which was strange in Halliwell Manor.

I looked at Aidan and Melinda. They looked utterly exhausted. What we had done…no, what I had done…had really taken a lot out of them. It had taken a lot out of us. I watched wide eyed as they both feel to the floor. What had I done? I hadn't meant to use that much. I hadn't known how much was necessary, nor how hard it would be to access it. The Grimoire was still on the table. It was open to a page with the heading 'To return time travelers to their own time."

We had done it, we had actually done it! Because of me, Aidan and Melinda couldn't enjoy our victory. They were lying on the floor unconscious, and who knew why. Speaking of which, I was starting to feel a little light headed. As the room spun around me, I wondered what I had done to myself. I fell to the floor in what seemed to be slow motion. Then the world went black.


	20. Blood of our Blood

**Chapter 20: Blood of our Blood**

**A/N: I did it! Darn wouldn't let me upload anything...finally I figured it out. Had to export a chapter...delete it all...then copy andpaste. Finally it worked! This chapter itself took me solong, but I thinkit's quite good. I actually remember where it was going. Now that stupid school's out of my way, I should be able to finish this soon enough. Enjoy the chapter! I enjoyedit (although i accidentally deleted most of it, and had to write it again) **

It took me a moment to realize why I was lying on the cold hard floor. Slowly it came rushing back, and I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. At least for now, the source was no longer a threat. There would still be many difficulties in getting home, but for now, the toughest was behind us.

I got up slowly, so the blood wouldn't rush to my head. As I peered around the room, I saw that Melinda and Aidan were still unconscious. I could see that they were breathing, which was an enormous relief. Waking them up would have to come later. It was time to move on to some pressing matters. The Grimoire was still sitting where we had left it, and it was open to the correct page.

Now was as good a time as any to look at it. My eyes scanned the page, and I felt more and more hopeless. The majority of the ingredients we had, and together we were powerful enough to say the spell. In fact, there was only one thing that we were missing. This spell required the blood of all three Charmed Ones. What were you going to do? Just walk up to them and poke them with a knife? That would so screw up the future.

I read the page over and over again, but there was no way around it. We needed their blood if we were ever going to go home. I sat down on the sofa and tried to figure out away that we could do this. I guess we could start by calling Grams, and asking what she thought, but I wasn't sure how far that would get us.

I buried my head in the pillows, closed my eyes, and tried to block everything out. I just wanted it all to be over, to go home, and to sleep. Since we had been here, there hadn't been any time to just sit, and relax. Sure, it had been fun for a while. We were here because of a mistake, at least I thought so, and it was about time we got back. The longer we were here, the harder that became.

I kind of wished Melinda would wake up. She always used to know what to say to make me feel better. I did it again, referred to our time in the past tense. The time before we were thrown forty years into the past was becoming like another life that someone else had lived. We were as out of place as someone could possibly be, and it was all my fault!

It had always been that way, and nothing would ever change it. It was always stupid Patience screwing things up for everybody. Because of the whirlwind of events that had occurred since we were thrown her, I hadn't even thought of my mother. Now that I was alone, and it was quiet, I couldn't help but think of her .We fought a lot, which was sure. There were times that I said I hated her, and times that I felt I did. Despite that, I would give anything for her to be here and comfort me. She would point me in the right direction, and say everything would be all right.

Just thinking of my mother made me feel a sense of overwhelming hopelessness. What if I never saw her again? What if I never saw anyone in my family again? Large salty tears began to flow down my cheeks, and I didn't try to stop them. In this situation, I felt I should be crying. It kind of made me feel better, to get it all out like that. At thirteen years old, the majority of the time I wanted to be considered grown up. Right now, I wanted nothing more to be held by my mother and have her smooth my hair, like she did when I was small.

I noticed Melinda stirring, so I did the best I could to stop my tears. It wouldn't do anyone any good if she saw me crying. Melinda couldn't think that I was worried. I wasn't the type to worry over nothing. Seeing I worried basically let people know there was cause for concern. The tears just would not stop! Everything was just so difficult.

Melinda got up shakily, and looked at me with concern. "Patience, what's wrong?" she asked softly. Instead of answer her, I turned away, and buried my head in the couch cushions. They did very little to stifle my tears. Melinda didn't say anything more. Instead, she got up, and sat down beside me. It was a mark of what a good person she was that she didn't ask anymore questions.

What she did, was she pulled me into a hug, and let me cry my eyes out. My tears now came out in great gasping sobs. Melinda held me close, and just whispered a comforting 'sssshhhhh'. She would let me calm myself down before I told her what was bugging me. It was very hard to talk. "We're…stuck…and…it's…all my fault", I managed to choke out before I started crying again.

Melinda looked at me in concern. "That's not true", she whispered firmly. Despite her confidence, I couldn't believe her. She just didn't understand. We were here because of a mistake I made. I was just being the stupid old Patience, always screwing everything up. Now the only way we could possibly get home seemed impossible. I just wanted everything back to the way it was. Since that was basically impossible, I felt so…hopeless.

"Patience, look at me", my cousin insisted. I did not want to look. I was afraid that Melinda would do what she always did. She would bail me out when I was in trouble, and make me feel reason. I didn't want to be the one who caused the trouble anymore. I didn't want her to be the reasonable one anymore. "Please Patience", Melinda repeated. I looked up then, not because of her words, but because of her tone. She sounded so desperate; almost as desperate as I felt.

Reluctantly, I let my deep brown eyes meet her clear blue ones. I didn't see any superiority in her eyes as I expected. Instead, I only saw worry. Melinda was worried about me. It wasn't me she should be worried about. She should be much more worried about everyone else. My cousin just didn't understand! I had to make her understand what real trouble we were in. "Look in the book", I pleaded with her. It was crucial that she understand. She looked a little sceptical; however, she made her way to the book. It was still opened to that dreaded page.

As her eyes scanned down the page, her confident expression faltered a bit. She stopped looking so optimistic, and began to look a little concerned. Very slowly, she closed the book and sat back down. "We'll be okay Patience, we'll get home." she said. I couldn't help but notice that she sounded a little uncertain as she said this. I wanted to believe her, really I did. However, I understood just how difficult this would be. "Please…" Melinda whispered, "We will get home. We have to believe it, or it'll never happen. I know it'll be hard. Heck, it seems almost impossible. But we've got to try." Slowly, I nodded. However hopeless it may seem, it would be better to keep a positive attitude. If one thing could be said for us Halliwells, it was that we were resilient.

Melinda made me feel a little better. It was almost like old times. I would have a problem, and Melinda would help me with it. Being slightly older, she had always been protective of me. This was different then not learning my letters fast enough, or loosing my favourite Barbie. In some ways, I wished it wasn't different. I missed the almost simple way things used to work. My life had always been filled with magic and demons, but it had always seemed so normal. Life before we had been thrown into the past seemed so far away, like it had happened to a totally different person. It had been a charmed life, but it had been simple.

At that moment, we saw that Aidan was finally stirring. Melinda smiled and said, "It looks like your sleeping beauty is finally waking up." Despite my horrible feelings of hopelessness, I began to giggle uncontrollably. I just found that horribly funny. Aidan got up shakily and looked around. He then walked over to us and sat between us on the couch.

"What's so funny?" he asked jovially. I stifled my giggles enough to answer him. I was going to answer honestly, but I couldn't help being a little mischievous

"We were just laughing on how you were snoring", I said with a smile. This made Melinda burst into a fit of giggles. Aidan's face turned beet red and a small fire appeared on the carpet. Aidan quickly stamped it out. I missed when he used to do that for some reason. Aidan now noticed the Grimoire, which had by itself fluttered to the page we needed. He got up, and looked at it. He frowned momentarily at it.

"This is hard, but all we need to do is call Grams", I said, "She'll get ...um…the Charmed Ones here." Then it'll be fine." He didn't usually take charge like this, but I appreciated this. He immediately went to the phone, and made the call. Melinda decided to get all the other ingredients we needed for the spell. Most of them were in the kitchen. I knew that I should do something useful, but I just couldn't bring myself to move. I wanted rest.

Aidan came back from the kitchen phone and sat beside me. ""Well, they'll be here in half an hour; we have until then to think up a reason to want their blood. We've covered up worse than this." I wanted to tell them he was right, but this was different. Taking a sample of someone's blood couldn't be explained by the stock explanation of "coincidence", or "internet". I tried my best to think of an explanation, but each seemed more unlikely than the next. The only reason we could want their blood was if we were vampires, or doing DNA tests (Which of course hadn't been invented)

This wouldn't work. The minutes were passing by very quickly, and we still hadn't thought of an explanation. If they were just to walk in, and we were just to stab them or something, they were sure to be a little upset. I was pretty sure my mother would never speak to me again if I did that. Just thinking about my mother made me feel a pang of regret. I wish she was here, as a grown up, she would know what to do. I tried thinking of what my mother or my aunts might do, thinking that might help.

As far as I knew, they had never been in that situation before. Each of them had to be convinced differently. The best way I could think of doing this was thinking back to the way they had reacted when they first found out they were witches. My mother had been immediately very accepting, so I felt I could talk to her almost honestly, although she was only twelve years old. Aunt Piper and aunt Prue would be much harder to convince. I remembered being told that they had been reluctant about being witches, going as far as believing that witches were evil. This was harder than I thought.

Aidan was staring at the clock, watching the minutes slowly pass. I knew that if I did this too, the time would pass much more slowly. Melinda was in the kitchen, preparing the other ingredients. Like Aunt Piper, she was always most comfortable in the kitchen. According to the clock, we had ten more minutes. I thought and I thought, but still I thought of nothing. Then suddenly, it came to me! I remembered a story my mother used to tell me, when she was trying to emphasize the importance of sisterhood. It was the perfect solution. "

What is it Patience? You look like you've just had an epiphany or something."

I smiled it him. I was happier, and everything seemed so much clearer. My plan wasn't a fool proof one, but it had a good chance of working. My mother told me about the summer by the lake where they made a blood oath not to just be sisters, but friends first. That would be a perfect thing to do. I t might take some time, but it could work. I couldn't tell Aidan what I wanted to do, because he would just be too obvious. "Yeah, something like an epiphany." I said.

The ten minutes before my mother and two aunts were due to appear passed very quickly. When the door bell rang, I nearly jumped out of my seat. Aidan's eyes too darted towards the door. Melinda however appeared from the kitchen, looking more chipper than ever before. If I didn't know any better, I would swear she was under some sort of spell. "I'll get it", she said extremely cheerily.

She indeed opened the door, to see a very confused looking Grams, and even more confused looking set of sisters. "Why'd we come back Grams?" Asked the young version of my mother, tugging on Grams skirt. Grams was looking at me hopelessly, as if wishing for a way out. I just shrugged hopelessly. I didn't know what to say. Melinda, however, felt that she could take control.

"Now's not the time for questions!" Melinda said. Her tone was almost creepily cheery. I reconsidered whether she was under some sort of spell. Her smile seemed pasted on, and very fake. Without batting an eye, she raised her hands and flicked her wrists. Prue, Piper and Phoebe froze in place. Grams looked to Melinda, then back to Aidan and me again. She had still not lost her suspicious nature, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

"What'd you do that for?" she asked angrily. Of course, she did not freeze, just as Aidan and I hadn't.

Melinda just shrugged. "We need to do a spell", she explained, "it's the only way we'll leave, and too do this spell, we need their blood." Well, that was a pretty matter of fact way to explain it. Grams just made a motion, somewhere halfway between a sigh and a shrug, and slumped down on the couch. She must have really wanted to get rid of us.

Melinda pulled a small athame from her pocket. I had no idea she kept one. This girl was full of surprises. She approached Prue first. She was frozen sulking, very close to the door way. She held the athame close to the crook of Prue's arm. She hesitated for a moment before pricking her. Melinda was so like Aunt Piper in certain ways. My aunt Piper had always been very squeamish about the sight of blood. "Just do it!" I yelled. All of this suspense was killing me!

Melinda quickly pocked Prue in the arm. No blood came out. Melinda went a little deeper until Prue definitely should have been bleeding a little. Still there was no blood. My cousin pocketed the knife, looking perplexed. "Why isn't she bleeding? Only warlocks don't bleed", Melinda said. I wondered that too. I was pretty sure Prue wasn't a warlock.

Then it hit me. We were being so stupid. Of course she wasn't bleeding. Her body was frozen, which meant that her blood must be as well. "Unfreeze her", I insisted. Melinda flicked her wrists and the Charmed Ones were reanimated. A gash appeared on Prue's arm. I t was quite deep, and it immediately began to bleed profusely.

Prue looked at her arm in confusion. "Why the hell am I bleeding?" she asked angrily. I was at a loss. How on earth could we explain this?


	21. Stupid Plans and Good Intentions

**Chapter 21: Stupid Plans and Good Intentions**

**A/N: Carmy! Hehehe…I mentioned you again. I actually was waiting for you this time. Almost school…gasp! Need class buddies. Story's almost over, so sad! At least they get home eventually. This was hard…haven't written this story in a while. Hope everyone likes it, so please read and review. **

Prue, Aunt Piper, my mom and Grams were still standing in the doorway. It was one of the most awkward silences I had ever lived through. Prue looked to be the angriest out of all of them . "Why am I bleeding?" Prue repeated again , this time much louder. I looked at Melinda and Aidan for support. They gave me nothing. I was on my own for this one.

"Um…see…the thing is…", I began. Uusally, I was able to make up things like that really quickly. Today I had no ideas. Prue was tapping her foot impatiently. That sure was making me very uncomfortable. I could see that Aidan was feeling uncomfortable too. This was particularly obvious because I noticed a few flames leap from the rug, which Aidan quickly stamped out. Grams shot us all a very appolegetic look.

Melinda let out an exasperated sigh. That girl was becoming more and more impatient lately. Without saying a word, she flicked her wrists, and Prue, Piper and Phoebe froze in place. That's when I exploded at her. " What did you do that for! I had a plan, and it didn't involve exposing magic to the whole world! You ruined everything! I can't believe you were so stupid!"

I stopped. I didn't really have much energy to yell anyways. Melinda looked shocked, and a little scared when I finished. I noticed the scorch marks to the right of where my cousin stood. I didn't mean to make her feel bad. I certainly didn't intend to lose control. No way would I do what I knew I must have done on purpose. "Sorry Melly, I didn't mean to", I said, ashamed.

Slowly, Melinda nodded. "I know", Melinda said softly. I was glad that she knew. Then, as if she could read my mind, which, I reminded myself, she could, she said, "You're not evil." I didn't know that I was conveying my doubt so clearly in my thoughts, but I was glad Melinda had picked up on it. She was really much more perceptive than I gave her credit for.

While my cousin and I were having our quick little argument, Grams was hovering awkwardly by the door. Taking care not to step on her immobilized grandchildren, she walked towards us. " Would you please tell me what's going on here? You called me to bring them here, so you must at least tell me what you're up to." Grams did have a point. She deserved the truth, and we might as well give it to her.

So once again, we explained. It didn't take long, and strangely, Grams was ready to believe us without question. I was feeling a little more at ease. It looked like soon we would be home. Then, everything that I had done in the past, everything that had happened, it wouldn't matter anymore. Things would be like they used to be. At least, I hoped so.

Our plan was fool proof. At least, I thought it was foolproof. There was nothing I could think of that could go wrong. Then, Grams pointed out what could be a little glitch in our plan. "What are we to do about the girls? It wouldn't be prudent for them to even suspect that magic exsists, let alone know this much", Grams said.

My great grandmother had a point. She also had me stumped. Melinda, however, said, " Leave that to me." Once again, my cousin had a plan. I was a bit warry of whatever Melinda's plan was, but I had no other ideas. Aidan just looked at me and shrugged. He was a bit useless sometimes. It was lucky he was cute.

" We just need a spell!" Melinda said brightly. I almost groaned out loud. Melinda used to seem so smart. That was just lame. Even I could think of a plan like that. I guess it was worth a though. With Melinda, Aidan and I said the spell together, it would have enough power to do something substantial. After all the really good plans had failed, a stupid one should work.

Before she began, Melinda took the athame, and pricked aunt Piper and Mom. She quickly unfroze them and refroze them, collecting a few drops of blood. She was getting surprisingly good at this. She gently laid the athame on the table. Then she began the spell.

"Send them away, don't let them stay", Melinda began. I stared at her blankly. Nothing had happened yet.

"Start rhyming, say anything", Grams whispered. That snapped me into awarness. I was really good at making up rhymes on the spot.

"Let them not know what is here, send them to a place they don't fear, Leave no memory of what they should not know, to somewhere safe, let those three go", I made up off the top of my head. The three frozen girls were enveloped in golden lights, and they disappeared.

I wasn't sure where they went, but at least they weren't there anymore. Things would be much easier now. Melinda went into the kitchen, and brought the boiling pot of whatever potion she had made. She placed it on the table in the living room. I shakily got the Grimoire, and placed it beside the potion.

It felt so horrible touching that book. I could feel the evil radiating from within it. It was just as I felt the good radiating from the Book of Shadows when I held it. When I put it down, as small shiver ran down my spine. " Do you need me? Or, shall I find the girls?" Grams asked.

"We'll be fine", Melinda said, " You can go."

Grams left, and we were in the ho use all alone. I kind of wanted her to be there with us. Just in case something went wrong, then I wanted some sort of witness. I tried to imagine what it would be like when we finally got home after almost a month. My mom would definatley be happy to see me. So would Prue, and the rest of my extended family. I had become so caught up in what had happened in the past, that I hadn't even thought about what was happening in my time. Everyone must be worried sick.

I pushed that thought out of my mind, at least mostly. I needed to concentrate on the task at hand. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like, however. What if I was the one there, and someone I loved, like my sister, had disappeared. What if I hadn't seen her for a month? Surely I would think the worst. I knew equally that I would try and find her. Were they even looking for me?

I tried to ignore the horrible gnawing feeling that grew in the pit of my stomach after that thought. I couldn't think like that, not right now. It was unproduductive, and right now I needed to concentrate. This would be resolved when I got home. Right now, the potion and the spell that would let me go home were all that matters.

Melinda held the athame coated in the blood over the pot of potion she had made. Unlike me, Melinda was great at making potions. The potion turned from it's disgusting brown colour to a blinding white. According to the Grimoire, that's exactly what was supposed to happen. So far, so good. I let out a breath that I didn't know I'd been holding in. I was more nervous than I thought.

Before I knew it, it was time for the spell. This was the part I had been dreading. The last time I had tapped into magic this dark, I had nearly lost the good side of myself. I felt a little guilty using what I was sure was dark magic. I had to keep reminding myself that this was the only way to get home. It still didn't make me feel much better.

Melinda grabbed onto my left hand, and Aidan grabbed onto my right. It was time to do the spell. Now or never. _You ready? _Melinda asked inside my head. I didn't answer. I was frozen in place. I tried to say the spell, but my mouth didn't seem to want to open. I had frozen. Finally I though, _I can't do this, I have to stay away from evil. _

Melinda didn't question me, being the good person that she was. Or maybe she didn't have to ask any questions since she knew me that well. I was afraid of what I would do, surrounded by all that dark energy. It was just like inviting me to destroy the world. Not that I want to destroy the world. Just my evil side was a little unstable, and if I wanted to destroy the world, I was capable.

"Aidan", I muttered, "I can't do this." He quickly let go of my other hand.

"Are you sure you're okay Patience?" Aidan asked. I liked the way he looked at me with concern. He didn't really need to worry about me, since I could take care of myself. I could tell using telepathy that he wanted to protect me. I hated how in fairy tales and stuff the big strong Prince always had to save the damsel in distress. I could save myself, and a bunch of big strong guys while I was at it.

"I'm fine", I said after a long pause, "You and Melinda will have to do the spell". I had to trust him, let him take the lead for once. Melinda and Aidan held hands, although reluctantly so. I could still sense some mutual dislike between them. It would be amusing when we got back to our time, and Aidan and I could begin dating for real.

Aidan and Melinda looked at me with concern, before beginning the spell. " We call upon the darkest power, Transport us now through time and space, Move uswith your ancient power, to our rightful time and place!"

We waited around for something, anything to happen. The house was just as it had ever been. It was silent, in a very anti climatic way. I didn't even feel anything, like usually happened with spells. The spell couldn't be a dud, considering the book it had come from. This could only mean one thing. They didn't have enough power to pull off the spell. Only one person did, and that person was me.

I didn't want to, I couldn't do it. I remembered, all too clearly, the feeling of evil encompassing all of my body. Never again did I want to fell like that. It wasn't that it felt horrible, it did, but that was not the point. What I was how worried about was how enticing it felt. It was all too easy to get sucked into that world of darkness, and I didn't want that. However, I desperately wanted to go home. This was the only way.

I closed my eyes, and tried to clear my mind of all conscious thought. _I can do this, I can do this, _I repeated over and over again. Deep breath in, and deep breath out. I tried to think happy pure thoughts. As long as my mind was free over murderous evil thoughts, maybe I wouldn't do any damage at all.

I placed my palms on the Grimoire, and I felt all of it's dark energy. That energy made me stronger, and ready to unleash all that power into the spell. Before I began speaking, I caught sight of myself in the hall mirror. My eyes had turned pitch black. I quickly turned away, not wanting to see myself. It was painful, almost frightening even.

" We call upon the darkest power, Transport us now through time and space, Move us with your ancient power, to our rightful time and place!" I chanted. Only, it wasn't my own voice I heard, it was the frightening demonic one I had only heard a few times in the past. I was absorbing all the evil required for this spell, and I had no choice.

I could feel deep from within, my demonic self struggling to emerge. No, I wouldn't become that again. Struggling to keep my demonic quarter buried deep inside, I opened my eyes. I hadn't even realized I was closing them. There I was, for the most part, my normal human self. Only the still pitch black eyes showed the evil I felt coursing within.

I saw the dark energies, swirling around us and around the potion. I had already said the spell, but I knew I had to keep my concentration for it to keep functioning. I was doing quite well until I caught sight of my cousin and my sort of boyfriend. The look on their faces somehow hurt me, deep down in my pure human soul. They were looking at me in fear, and although I couldn't blame them, it still hurt.

They were afraid of me. They were practically terrified. Just their expression were enough to make resurface the lingering feelings of doubt I had long felt. They made me feel like I was a monster. It wasn't right that they should do that. I didn't like being feared. They weren't supposed to be like that. They were supposed to know that I would never hurt either of them, at least not willingly.

_Maybe they're jealous_, said a small voice in the back of my head. I had unlimited power at my disposal, while they were just limited. Compared to me, they were nothing. Why couldn't I be normal? I didn't want to be envied, nor feared, nor this powerful. I wanted someone to have power over me for a change. I wanted to be protected by someone's power other than my own.

I shook my head. While all these thoughts raced through my head, I had lost some of that much needed concentration. The swirling black energies that had surrounded us went down a little. The power had slightly faded. I was very confused, both by what I had been thinking, and what had been happening to me. I looked back to Melinda and Aidan, although I was somewhat afraid of seeing either of them.

Neither of them looked afraid anymore. "You can do this Patience", Aidan whispered. His tone was filled with such love, that all of my negative thoughts immediately melted away. I had been wrong before. I was more powerful than everyone I knew. There was nothing at all wrong with that. There was nothing that said a girl couldn't save the day. Of course a girl could save the day, and I had just decided that I would be that girl.

I looked back into the hall mirror, and saw an amazing change. My pitch black eyes swirling with dark energies instantly turned to their normal warm sparkling brown. The energies around us also slowly changed into a sparkling white. I was tapping into the power I had gotten from good for a change. In all my worry about truly becoming my father's daughter, I had forgotten that I was and always had been truly my mother's daughter.

With my new renewed attitude, I could once again concentrate. I closed my eyes, and let the power of light and goodness run through me. I had no idea how this had happened, but I knew that this was the right way to go home. All around us, the bright lights swirled. Melinda and Aidan were looking at me in wonderment. After a single minute of concentration, the white lights enveloped us. I could see nothing but white, and I felt myself being hurtled forward, through time and space.

This was it, we were going home.

**TBC…**

**Only one more chapter, then an epilogue. So sad! Please read and review!**


	22. Home sweet Home?

**Chapter 22: Home Sweet Home?**

**A/N: Wow, this is so hard! I really love this story, but it's really hard to finish. I am going to finish it. It's mostly school work getting in the way. That, plus lack of inspiration. Now I'm blowing off school work to write. Aren't you proud. Enjoy the chapter, after this, only the epilogue, then over. **

The spinning took a while to stop. It took me a while to get myself oriented. When my feet hit solid ground again, I nearly feel over. I saw Aidan and Melinda stumble beside me. Cautiously, I picked myself up and looked around. It was the same old living room, just as I had known it. After nearly a month, we had actually done it. We were home! Well, Aidan didn't live here, but our adventure was over.

Just to make sure I was in my own time, I checked out the framed photos hanging on the wall. I saw pictures of myself and Melinda that were taken just recently. Other pictures included my sister and the rest of my family. It was the right time alright. Next to me, Melinda and Aidan were brushing themselves off. "When are we?" Aidan asked looking around. He was so stupid sometimes. Too bad he was also so cute.

"Our time doofus", Melinda said, punching him in the arm. Those two would never get along. I didn't answer them. I didn't know if they were feeling like I was, but it was indescribable. It was like a tingling of excitement throughout my whole body. The time I had spent in the passed seemed like part of a different lifetime. It was surreal to finally be back, with all my family.

Speaking of family, I felt a familiar presence up in the attic. I hadn't felt it for a long time, but I still knew who it was. My mother was up in the attic. I was bursting with anticipation. "Stay here", I said to Melinda and Aidan. I made my way slowly to the stairs leading up to the attic.

I knew that I should tell them where I was going, but it suddenly wasn't very important. During my time in the past, I had learned a lot about myself and everyone around me. One thing I was sure of was that I needed my mother. I had also become even closer to my cousin if possible. I didn't know about Aidan, but I knew that I still wanted to get to know him in the present day.

I telepathically sent a message to Melinda saying," I'm going to see my mom. I need some time alone." She didn't come after me or anything. She understood, being the wonderful person that she was.

As I walked up the stairs, I tried to imagine the joyous reunion with my mother. What would we say to each other? I had been gone so long, I didn't even know if she was looking for me anymore. I hoped the reunion would be happy. We didn't really have much to say to each other before I had been pulled into the past. Still, I wanted things to go back to the way they were before.

My intention had been to burst through the attic door and announce myself. It never occurred to me that my mother had been doing anything important in the attic. I had reached the door, then I stopped. What I saw froze me in my tracks. I was in shock.

My mother was in the attic, just as I had sensed. She was doing magic. On an alter was a photo of me. It was my most recent school photo, and I looked horrible. In front of her was a large bowl we used for gathering potion ingredients. I stepped closer, and she still didn't see me. That's when I saw the blood.

There was a deep cut on her palm, and by the knife beside her, I knew she had done it herself. What was going on here? Then I heard her chanting, and immediately I understood. "Blood to blood I summon thee, blood to blood return to me." She thought I was dead.

"Mom?" I said softly. I knew she would think she had seen a ghost. I should have figured out that she would have lost hope of ever finding me. My heart broke for her. She turned around to see me. She looked at me, and even though she had been doing the spell, she looked stunned. Slowly, she got up and walked towards me. Her hand was still bleeding a lot, but she didn't seem to care.

Her eyes were still red and blotchy from crying, but I saw her smile. It looked like she was about to hug me, but she stopped. "I'm not a ghost mom, I was never dead", I told her. I didn't even need to read her mind. She didn't ask me any questions. I knew that at least now, questions weren't necessary. She had quickly changed from the utterly defeated woman I had seen when I walked in the door.

"We…we had a funeral for you and Mel", she said. She was crying again, but this time, I was pretty sure they were tears of joy. I couldn't even imagine what it would have been like for her or Aunt Piper. It must have been devastating for the rest of the family as well. We were back now, so thing's would be better. Everything was going to be okay, wasn't it? "What about Mel…and that boy?" my mother asked all of a sudden.

"They're downstairs", I said brightly. I didn't know why, but things were suddenly awkward between us.

She followed me down the stairs where Melinda and Aidan were still waiting. My mother squealed in excitement when she saw Melinda. She wrapped my cousin in a hug, and began talking very fast. "Oh my god! I'm so happy to see you Melinda. Piper's going to be thrilled. I have to call her. Everything's going to be okay now", she said all at once. I found it pretty amusing. I was happy to see her be hapy again.

Aidan was standing a back a little awkwardly. I guess it must have been a little weird for him, being in the presence of the mother of your sort of girlfriend. My mom would never let him off the hook. "Who's this young man?" my mother asked coily. I liked that she could still talk as casually as this, after thinking her baby was dead. I suspected that she was still in shock.

Aidan of course didn't answer, being the wimp that he was. I answered for him. "This is Aidan, he's my friend", I said. I left it at that. I didn't want to get into anymore details. However, my mother understood more than I wanted her to. She wasn't even telepathic. How is it that mothers know everything? My mom winked at me, and Aidan caught it. Nothing burst into flames, which mean he was getting better.

"So, where is everyone?" I asked my mother. My cousin Melinda was staying very quiet. I couldn't say I was surprised. I had always been the more outgoing one, and we had been through a lot. I was used to my house filled with people, and noisy. The house had probably been like that for a hundred years. It was weird that only my mom was home.

"Well, actually…" my mom began. She sounded very awkward, and it was like she was hiding something. After all this time, she could still read her mother like a book. She wondered if her mother could do that too.

"Come on mom, tell me", I said gently. I put a comforting arm around her shoulder. She had lost her upbeat demeanour from mere moments ago. Now she looked as if the world was going to crumble around her. I had been naïve to think everything would just be okay. No one could disappear for a month, and come back and expect nothing to have changed. I just wished that we could pretend that it never happened. I knew that would never work.

"It's your funeral…both of yours." She said. Then she sank down onto the armchair. I felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me. It was a surreal feeling. How would we explain this? It was one thing to be missing, but to have a funeral, and then explain it away. We had to stop that funeral. If it was me, I would have fainted in shock. I wanted to call them right away. They had to come home, and then we would be a family.

Melinda, who had been quite, finally decided to be the voice of reason. "How is there a funeral if there's no bodies?" she asked. That made a lot of sense. Anyways, I thought since we were in the past where our parents had seen us, that they would have some memory of our interference. I guess that didn't happen. Thinking of time travel made my head hurt sometimes. How someone could even spend a month in the past was very confusing.

'_I guess Grams modified their memory', _I said telepathically to Melinda. I wasn't sure why I didn't want my mother to hear, but I didn't.

'_She did that a lot. I'm surprised that they didn't get brain damage or something_', Melinda said with a smile.

There was a silence that seemed to last forever. It was very awkward, and I hated it. The awkwardness was broken by a small fire that sprung up from the carpet. I guess Aidan felt more uncomfortable than even I did. " Aidan, put it out", I said to the corner of my mouth. He concentrated, and the fire disappeared.

"Well, that was hot", my mom said with a smile. It was a lame joke, but I couldn't help but smile. Anything to fill the awkward silence between us. I looked to Melinda, but she didn't say anything. I guess it was up to me to say something again. I thought of something, anything that I could say. I came up blank. Thankfully, I didn't need to think of anything.

My mother went to the phone. "I have to call them now. They're going to be shocked", my mother said. That was the understatement of the century. While she was on the phone, I tried to figure out what was going on. It was hard since I was only listening to my mother's side of the conversation, but I think I got the gist of it.

First, it seemed as if Aunt Piper didn't believe her. Then from the excitement in my mother's voice, I figured that she had gotten her message across. When my mother hung up, I heard that Aunt Piper and the whole family would be over in about an hour. I couldn't wait to see them all. I was so excited.

"Well, she was a bit doubtful, but she can come here and see this for herself", my mother told me. I was very happy that I was going to see my Aunt Piper. I also wanted to see my sister and all my other cousins. Melinda was excited too. I'm sure she had missed her mother as much as I had missed mine. She had always loved being around her two older brothers. Then my mother said, "Of course, you'll all have to tell us where you were."

I had been happy until she had said it. I had been dreading her saying that. It was over now, and I never wanted to speak of it again. I hoped that in this case, at least Melinda would help me out. Aidan was still standing there awkwardly. " I'd…um…I'd better go", Aidan said quickly. Just as quickly, he was out the door. I was kind of happy to see him go, at least for now. It was really weird having him there.

I was going to say something else, but then the events of the past month got to me all of a sudden. Since I had gone to the past, I don't remember having one good night's sleep. I was tired, but I didn't want to show it. I was too excited to see my family again. I yawned, being unsuccessful at stifling it. Melinda yawned to. Unfortunately, my mother caught it.

"You must be tired", she said. Again, that was an understatement. I was exhausted. "You have to take a nap", my mother said. Normally I would argue. It's not like I'm five years old. I was just so exhausted.. Melinda didn't argue either. We just took a couch each and lay down. We didn't even talk. In mere moments, I was sound asleep.


	23. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**A/N: I just had to finish this, and I have to finish it now. This is a little shorter than the actual chapters. This is basically what life is like after everything is said and done. I suck at endings, so if anyone actually reads it, I'm sorry. It's sorta happy and sorta sad. Enjoy!**

Things had never really gotten as normal as I thought they would. Sure, we had all gotten back to our normal activities. Melinda and I had gone back to school, to Melinda's joy, and not to mine. After a joyous reunion with my sister, the same old sibling rivalry had restarted between us. The whole family was of course overjoyed to see us. There was one thing that bothered me though. They all acted like nothing had ever happened. Something had clearly happened.

They sort of knew what happened on our journey to the past. Apparently, my mother and aunt Piper did have vague recollections of the event, although Grams had not permitted them to remember much. We told them where we went, and an overview of what happened. Still, we didn't tell them everything. We didn't tell them about our numerous blunders, or my brush with evil. Maybe we thought they didn't need to know. Maybe I didn't want them to know.

I longed to tell my mother about what happened with my father. However, she hadn't spoken about him in years, so I didn't think she'd want to hear about it. That seemed to be a common thing in our family. We pretended things were okay even when they weren't. I didn't know that before, but my trip to the past had helped me realize it. The secrecy caused me to become more distant from my mother than ever before. We couldn't talk about anything anymore.

Melinda didn't want to talk to me either. I had tried breaching the subject with her many times, but she had always brushed me off. She pretended being busy with school work or something. I knew she was just making excuses. She could never hide anything from me. It wasn't just that I could read her mind. We were best friends. I knew that she liked the normalcy. After our whirlwind adventure, she just wanted everything to be normal again. She was like her mother in that respect.

Things with Aidan were definitely moving in a more positive direction. We got along much better since we weren't spending every second together. We could talk now. I went over to his house often. Despite the relentless teasing from his older sister Tallulah, I had a great time there. Things were too awkward at my house. Aidan was ready and willing to talk about what had happened.

My mom didn't really ask why I kept going to some boy's house. I found that odd. I think she really liked Aidan, even though she had only met him about three times. Aidan didn't like to come to my house. When we were at his house, he was very calm, no surprise fires (although his sister, with power over water, was used to putting them out.) At my house, he didn't last five minutes with something bursting into flames. I think we were good together.

What was the most interesting was honestly how everyone reacted when they discovered Melinda and I were back. It was sort of predictable really. I guess I know my family well, at least to some extent. Aunt Piper, being the emotional one, of course cried. Leo was absent as usual. Aunt Paige, the curious one, asked question after question. It was a bit annoying, but it was great to have her auntie Paige back.

Prue was the greatest. The strange thing was that she kept apologizing. I didn't know exactly what for, but I told her she didn't need to. She didn't want to hear any of that. For a while she was supper nice to me. She did everything for me, without being asked, and she wanted to spend every waking minute with me. I think she was afraid of loosing me again or something. It was sweet and all, but it got very old, very fast.

Finally, I told her that while I loved her attention, I just wanted things to return to the way they were. The first time she yelled at me for stealing her shirt. I couldn't have been happier. That was exactly the way sisters were supposed to interact. Things were a bit weird at first, but eventually, they became the way they were. As I previously mentioned, I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

Our trip to the past hadn't exactly been bad…If anything, it had been informing. I had learned more about myself than I ever dreamed possible. I learned that it doesn't really matter who your parents are, there's always a choice. Someone like me would have to face that choice many times over, but I was ready. I had learned not only about myself, but others around me. Especially with Melinda, my perceptions had changed a lot. She was a very strong person and witch in her own right.

Now I knew that she deserved more recognition. After being in the past so long, everything seemed very…unsettled for some reason. I wanted some sort of closure. In a way, our adventure seemed far from over. I spend several reflective days trying to figure out if that was good or bad. Despite how I had learned and grown, I had this unsettled feeling. I figured it would never go away.

My days lately had been spent both avoiding contact with others, and craving it. I had been weird, and I knew it. Even very recently, Aidan couldn't get me to talk. Somehow, everyone had made plans one day, and I was left alone in the manor with Melinda. That hadn't happened since we got back, and I was a little nervous. As it turned out, we were more comfortable with each other than ever. We didn't talk much, but we didn't need to. I hadn't thought it possible, but we were closer now.

We ended up out on the porch for some reason. It was the exact same porch we had spent a good portion of our shared childhood. It was also the same porch from the past. It probably would never change. I found that comforting for some reason. I remembered a hot sunny day spent out on the porch when we were about 7. That was the day I realized that Melinda and I would be best friends forever.

A lot of bad things happened the year we were seven. It was the last year we had both seen our fathers. It was right after uncle Leo had left, and said he wasn't coming back, that this happened. Aunt Piper was watching us, but since uncle Leo had left, she was very upset. Melinda was just upset if not more so. She had just been told that her daddy wasn't coming back. I knew exactly what that was like.

In an attempt to make her feel better, I got her a popsicle, and took her out on the porch. Melinda had always enjoyed being outside. Her sadness was making me sad too, and I wasn't an empath at the time. I wanted to see her smile again. We had been sitting on the porch in silence for several minutes, when I looked at her. I saw the beggings of tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She looked like she was holding back. I wanted her to be happy, but I knew that sometimes, crying could help.

I told her it was okay to cry, and she did.

I don't know why I was thinking about that event right then. It was the first time that I realized that Melinda and I needed each other. It was a relationship that went deeper than merely cousins. We were like two halves of a whole. Neither of us are as strong without the other. All of our lives, we had helped each other out. After going to the past, my appreciation for what a best friend is increased by ten fold.

Maybe the reason I was thinking of that memory was that I was so close to tears myself. I don't know what was making me upset. Maybe it was just the realization of what had happened all at once. The last month had seemed kind of surreal. I just knew that it hadn't really solved anything, I hadn't realized it before we left, but I had a lot of issues that hadn't been dealt with. Knowing that people were going to act like nothing had happened made me a little sad.

Melinda looked at me, and seemed to see how I was feeling. She told me it was okay to cry, and I did.

I had a lot of complicated thoughts and feelings, but the trip to the past was really an eye opener. Now that I think back, it was probably destiny. It was most likely for the best. Things may not be perfect in my life, or in Melinda's. I knew we would get through anything, though. We would get through it together.

_**The End**_


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